'If only'... if only. Does it go the other way? Is that what people mean, 'only if'? Only if it had transpired thusly, things would have been better... but so many other factors could have improved them; they just didn't.
Warning: Much of this story is written while terribly drunk. Proceed with caution.
Madness string 1050
Everyone assumes we start out in the same place, but we don't.