Consequences

I have been watching coverage of Phelps with mixed feelings. Marijuana is illegal in most states to possess, buy or sell. Thus smoking marijuana was illegal, not to mention ill advised on many levels. So I think most of us see his actions as wrong. A mistake. He has apologized. He has admitted it was wrong. There are consequences. In fact, pretty big consequences. He could be charged and have a criminal record. he lost financial endorsements, he lost competition time and he was removed from the pedestal that the world placed him on, if he ever cared about that. I trust he swam for the love of the sport. I trust he set a goal for the medals to prove he could do it. Money may have entered his mind too. However, his mistake does not make him less of an athlete or less of a human being. Arguably, all the wonderful things people said of him are still true. He is human and he made a mistake.

Maybe he has always smoked and is a frequent user. Maybe he got together with young people his own age and after drinking some beer didn't think much about trying some pot. Who knows. But there were witnesses. The person who took the picture and sold it to a British tabloid made money, but he wasn't alone and any person there could have reported what they saw. So once again we see that nothing is private unless you are alone. There are always witnesses with photo backup. This situation makes for a good reminder that we should simply do the right thing because we never know who is watching or recording. Certainly a point I have made to my children with the Miley Cyrus, HSM sweetheart and now Phelps. But it is sad that you can't trust anyone around you not to make a choice to hurt you.

Of course as badly as I feel that a young person with promise must pay so publicly for a lapse in judgment. But ultimately, it only takes one mistake to change your life and the lives of others if it is big enough. A wonderful person can take the wheel after too much to drink and ruin his life and the lives of many. We all know of examples. So why I hate that he is having to learn this lesson this way, it is good that he is being forced to suffer the consequences as publicly as he earned the accolades. It is a good life lesson to him and to those who watch him. Sometimes we don't get the luxury to learn from our mistakes. He has and maybe others as well.