Recently, it has come to light that Michael Phelps has been smoking an illegal drug. I found out about it yesterday, and there were at least a half a dozen conversations I had about it. Even the teachers were talking about it. Today, people still talk about it. For the first time in a very long time, I was made fun of for being interested in a certain subject, and the subject was the Baltimore Bullet, not something generic like comic strips.

I have a few things to say to this current dilemma among our culture. I should first start off by listing certain highlights of his career.

Michael Phelps is an outstanding individual who was introduced into the Olympics at the age of fifteen, finishing in fifth place at Sydney. He then went on to Athens to win six golds and two bronzes, where he quickly became a huge phenomenon, and people knew that they were to get ready for a legend. Four years later, he made history in Beijing with an unprecedented eight straight gold medals, seven of them coming with world records. He hasn't lost a single swimming competition since the Pan Pacific Championships in 2006, where one out of his six races ended in a silver medal. He has been declared one of the greatest athletes of all time, if not the greatest. Most recently, however, that all went down the drain when he appeared in a British tabloid, which presented him, like so many other victimized celebrities, in a most negative fashion.

It is unfortunate to say that Michael Phelps has not been thinking clearly lately. Being caught smoking an illegal drug is never good, neither for reputation nor character. However, I think that we should still honor Michael Phelps. After becoming a titan in Beijing, he has been popularized as being so awesome that almost no mortal weaknesses could take him down from the pedestal of being the most awesome person in the world. He was exalted and made a role model for his outstanding character. He worked incredibly hard with superhuman dedication towards winning eight gold medals and becoming the greatest Olympian in history and for a long time to come, with willpower that only a handful of people in the world possess. Now, in contrast, smoking is simple, and is very common throughout the world. While certainly it is illegal and I do not approve of him doing this, he could have done far worse things in life, especially with his fame.

Now, Michael Phelps has admitted that this was "behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment". Why should we not in our hearts accept his apology? Forgiveness is a blessed virtue, and it is important to forgive one of their sins. I have said before, "Forgive the sinner, not the sin". I say that this still applies here, especially because he still has outstanding character that very few people can match. If you look past this current setback, you will see that he is still a splendid individual, that the fundamentals of his character are still strong.

Michael Phelps has the honor of being something more than human. He gets to be a legend, and all legends serve as icons for something in our society. For Phelps, he is an icon who symbolizes personal achievement, golden determination, persistence, good sportsmanship, and the pride of America. For these things he should be remembered, as his legend encourages us and gives us hope and optimism. He should be remembered for his works, like so many other superstars should be, such as Britney Spears, who I am a big fan of, despite her personal defects. However, Michael Phelps's reputation makes things more difficult than the likes of Britney Spears, considering that his reputation was a direct result of his character. However, if Michael Phelps is as dedicated and of such quality character as we know him to be, if Michael Phelps can set his mind towards establishing his great Olympic dramas, he should be capable of avoiding drugs from now on. Michael Phelps has said, "For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public -- it will not happen again." Michael Phelps has given us a promise, and he has demonstrated that he can back up his promises and walk the walk, or rather, swim the swim.

In school things have changed. I am glad to say that there are still many people who respect Michael Phelps, but as for the people who now foster grudges against him, for now I consider them bad judges on character. I find it comparatively odd that one person can consider him a titan one day and scum the next. It reminds me, actually, of part of the Joker's philosophy.

"You see, they're all just a bunch of...schemers. They will be there cheering for him when its convenient, when he's making earth-shattering achievements, but the moment on, tiny little British magazine proves that he's only human...they'll eat him."

How accurate that analogy is, the reader can decide, presuming that they have watched "The Dark Knight." However, it is a misfortune that it is true with some people. I cannot say that such people anger or frustrate me, and I respect their opinions, but I am not pleased with the opinions and attitude I have seen. This morning, I turned on the computer I was assigned to, which opened up to a desktop of Michael Phelps holding up his gold medal, the person next to me said, "hey, it's stupid marijuana boy!" Later, when classes were switching, however, a girl friend of mine (a girl who is a friend, not a girlfriend), saw the desktop and loved it, then instantly looked up an image of the Beijing Bling to put on her own computer desktop.

I now see a distinct divide in the world of Phelps. There are people I now know who don't like him. There are people I know who absolutely adore him. I am glad for the people who still like him, who can see past such an incident as this and remember him for giving us a summer like no other. In the future, I anticipate that this will be forgotten, and only the most irrational people will cling to this incident as a reason to disdain him. Those clingers, however, will be rare. I, along with many other awe struck Phelps Phans, will have forgotten about this in the future, and the legend will prosper. I hope the best for Michael Phelps, and that he will still be honored for never letting us down.

Your Honor,

Emperor Kraggh