[ WP ] An event occurs and suddenly the world 's governments are holding corporations and their top level execs past and present accountable for all actions against the environment , crimes against humanity , and profiteering .

`` It was a relief, actually,'' he said. 
 
 Oprah smiled. She giggled a little, too. She recalled a fleeting memory, almost too quickly to register in her conscious mind during such a public moment: She was in her late 40's, used to reading the newspaper by herself with a pained grimace on her face. She was constantly shocked by the violence in the world, such senseless violence. But she was numb to it. She, the queen of real, the epitome of personal and professional empathy; she was numb. The realization of how deeply f & ^ % ed up the world is, how impotent her entire self-mastery game plan was, bit deeply into her mind. Something was breaking down. She later learned it was her ego, her entire ego identity. But in that moment, all she knew was pain. 
 
 `` Okay,'' Oprah said playfully, `` a relief, sure, but also... a disappointment?'' 
 
 `` Yes,'' the man replied. `` A deep disappointment, because I knew I deserved a terrible punishment, and knew at the same time that that would be impossible now. It was... well, you know, it was the essence of the saved experience. It was maddening. And, mindblowing... joyful, invigorating. It was, just like it always is, beyond description.'' 
 
 Oprah teared up and began to weep openly. She briefly entertained thoughts of what the various forms of justice the Pre-society would have imposed: an Arabic noble ordering his head or limbs cut off, some judge ordering life in prison, or a jury ordering him to be'humanely' executed. 
 
 Post-society justice, Oprah thought, is actually harder on the offender. 
 
 `` You confronted yourself,'' Oprah said. 
 
 `` Yes,'' the man replied, after a moment of reflection. `` I still am.'' 
 
 They hugged. 
 
 `` Thank you, Oprah,'' the man said. `` I want to say so much more, but, I realize, everyone always does. It's just impossible, is n't it?'' 
 
 Oprah nodded and smiled at the man before turning to the camera. 
 
 `` There you have it, folks. The confession of Offender # 132,369. Moving, no?'' 
 
 The studio audience applauded. About half had tears streaming down their cheeks. 
 
 Oprah took a deep breath and took in the moment. She thought about the bravery of the latest Offender's Confession. And she thought about her own bravery, when she decided, finally, to just tell the world, when her syndicated network tv show was at the top of its ratings, that she was no longer Oprah; that she was, in fact, the Messiah that all world religions had prophesied.
