THE LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

 THE LAW of UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

 by Ellen Pepper

 

The other night, I found myself dreaming that I was one amongst a numberless throng. 

All were zombie-walking, empty-eyed. 

 

I stopped a One who seemed less programmed and asked why so many walked the same path, as if carried along by inertia.

 

He replied that they didn't break formation because they feared invoking the Law of Unintended Consequences and thereby setting the world up for chaos and mayhem, somewhat like the fabled wings of a butterfly flapping over the Pacific and causing a hurricane to result in the Atlantic.

 

We sat ourselves down on a convenient bench while I digested this information.

"Listen, One," I said, "Why has no One considered the possibility that changing programs in the middle of a stream might, instead, have a beneficial effect on the world?"

 

One thought for a few cut-glass moments, and then replied, "We are not programmed to think that good outcomes could be possible. Therefore, we cling to the known, which is obedience and conformity as ascertained by the Masters of the Program. It's just safer for all of us and we want to be safe. We need to be safe. The only safety is in walking in the groove made for us by those who have trod it before us."

 

"I see," said I, sadly. A moment passed. 

Then I stood in front of One, and asked him to sing a song for me. He balked, saying that it was not on his List of Things To Do Today and might rend the very fabric of the Universe with a mighty roar, enveloping the Solar System in the Rubbish of a Thousand Magnitudes. 

 

I countered with, "Or, on the other hand, blessings may result, benefics are also the outcome of breaking the Law of Unintended Consequences. Just so you know."

One nodded, considering the possibilities. 

 

"What should I sing?" he rather faintly inquired.

 

"Get Happy," I suggested. "Judy Garland sang it in a film called "Summer Stock". The lyrics start like this:

Forget your troubles
Come on get happy
You better chase all your cares away
Shout hallelujah
Come on get happy
Get ready for the judgment day

 

One stood with trepidation. "Can you hum a few bars to start me?" he asked.

I did. He sang. 

A few of the many stopped striding forward and listened.  

Some of the many saw the few and halted to hear.  

Soon, a One here and a One there started humming. 

Then several also joined. 

And then, in One fell swoosh, a full-throated thousand joined in the singing. 

Some began to dance.

 Some dropped briefcases and smiled. 

They smiled. They hadn't smiled in a hundred thousand years, it seemed.

 

The sun came out from behind the clouds. The Many dashed away from the city and ran into the greenery of the forest that too few had taken the time to visit in the grey and dismal past.

There was a palpable joy.

 

I took the One by the hand and suggested that, in future, more songs should be sung and many more dances should be enjoyed because the Law of Unintended Consequences could free as well as enchain by fear.

©Ellen Pepper 2024