  READER'S REPLIES: [Reply #1] Tell me what YOU think! Back to Philosophy page |
 Most of us are familiar with the stories about finding a genie in a bottle and receiving three wishes after freeing him. I suspect that most of us who have read such stories have pondered somewhat about what we would wish for if we were given the same opportunity. Three things in one
form or another would probably come immediately to most people's minds: Money,
Power, and Sex. I'm not sure that those people would have bothered to take the
time to consider all of the details involved, however.For example, wishing
for money is simple enough. But, how much money? In what form? As a lump sum
payment? Where would it come from? Taxable? How would you handle the demands
that others would inevitably place upon you once it became known that your wish
had been granted?Wishing for power
might have similar side-effects and questions. For example, at what level would
you exercise your power? King? President? CEO? How would your power affect
others? How would you protect yourself from those who would be jealous of your
power? How long would you have this power?How about wishing for
sex? Again, there might be questions. How much? With whom? What about your
present relationship or that of your new partner(s)? Would your eagerness to
get your wish cause you to forget to think about pregnancy or venereal disease
concerns?So, now you're
thinking a bit about what you want to wish for. While you're thinking, how
about deciding whether your wishes will benefit yourself only or could be used
for the betterment of your fellow Man, as well? Would your wishes be one-time,
short-term ones, or would they be for things that would have lifelong impact?
Would the things you would wish for today be the same things you would wish for
tomorrow or next week or next month? Would you be short-sighted and end up
suffering the effects of the old axiom, "Be careful what you wish for because
you might just get it"?I have often
considered what my Three Wishes would be. They have changed and evolved over
time and will probably continue to do so for as long as I'm still able to think
about them. For the sake of argument, I'll list my Three Wishes as they
currently stand and invite comment or criticism (to include your own wish
lists) from those of you who are reading this.First, I would choose
to have perfect recall of the sum total of recorded human knowledge and history.
Why not wish simply to be omniscient? If one was already in possession of all
possible knowledge, the joy of discovery would seem to be lost forever. My wish
would still preserve the wonders of the Universe that we have yet to discover
while allowing the maximum benefits from the knowledge we have already gained.
Also, I have no need to be privy to the personal and private things that people
seek to keep to themselves.Second, I would wish
to be have perfect fluency and virtuosity in all forms of communication. This
would include mastery of all languages as well as all types of musical
instruments and other forms of artistic expression.Third, I would wish
for the ability to instantly heal any physical injury that might befall me. I'm
not wishing for immortality or invulnerability, but I would wish to avoid the
effects of either single or accumulated injuries that would diminish my
enjoyment of life and my ability to perform physical activities.Now, to find that
genie....E-mail: mlbakke1@earthlink.net Earthlink Network Home Page |