Three Wishes, A Different Fate

Getting three wishes from a genie seems like the perfect solution to all life’s challenges. Any difficult problem could be solved. Not enough money to pay for a mortgage? Job searching for over a year because of a bad economy? Solution found! Just ask a genie for millions of dollars. Can’t fix a leak in the ceiling? Constantly cooking bland meals? No problem. Ask the genie to fix the roof, and to gift you with an appliance that will make delicious meals.

If I had three magic genie wishes, I would ask for things that would get me set for life. For example, a literal money tree that grows hundred dollar bills. I wouldn’t need to work unless I wanted to, and all my bills would be paid off if I wait for a good money harvest. I could also help friends and family with their money problems.

My second wish would be for the power to heal. This would prevent people I care about from dying from fatal injuries or long-term illnesses.

My third wish would be for time. There were so many times when I didn’t have enough time to get something done. For example, if I wanted to go to two events happening simultaenously. I have to prioritize and go to one. Or I waste time working on something that takes longer than anticipated, like putting together a piece of furniture. When I’m done that project, hours have passed and I barely get anything done that day. If I could slow down time, or rewind the day, imagine how productive I could be.

Would I get happiness from these wishes? In the long term, I’m not sure. Friends and family might pressure or guilt me into helping them. (You’re infinitely rich – help me buy a car.) The government might want to tax me on all my income if they find out about my money tree. I might get into arguments with people – such as whether or not to prolong the life of a loved one. Just because I can keep fixing each health issue they encounter doesn’t mean that they want to be continuously made healthy to live forever.

As for having infinite time, perhaps I would not appreciate time as much as before. Instead of learning to prioritize, I would be able to rewind the day and take as long as I need to get something done, or go to both events that are the same time. At some point, the novelty would perhaps wear off and I would get bored. People would also think about me differently if they knew I had such a gift. Such as having higher expectations: if I have all the time in the world, I should have time for all my friends and family. If I have all the time in the world, I should be able to work on any task until I get it done.

Overall, when things are scarce or finite, such as money, health, and time, we appreciate them more. Having more of these precious things would be great for solving some of the problems we face every day, but it may also create issues. Would I want these wishes regardless? I’d probably say yes.

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