I recently watched Aladdin on Disney Plus. The animated classic of the early 1990s. It got me thinking about the three wishes that I would want a genie to grant me.
How awesome would that be? To be able to wish for any three things in the world. Let alone, in the universe!
I used to think that I would always wish to become a millionaire or even a billionaire. That would be the first thing to come to mind. To be “set” in life financially would be a wonder for many people.
I could travel anywhere. Buy anything. Not have to work anymore. Just live life on the move. Or like a couch potato. The choice is mine. It all sounds glorious.
But then, I thought about all the “side effects” that would come with being a billionaire. All the commotion. All the media scrutiny. The government breathing down your back. Your responsibilities increasing - whether you like it or not - given your improved status in society.
Plus, do I really need that much money to be happy and satisfied?
Simply getting a billion dollars is not as comfortable as it sounds. You’ll need to be more cozy with the IRS. You’ll need to be more comfortable in the public eye. Many things that you take for granted are taken away from you, once you obtain that one billion dollars.
So, sometimes, I don’t really even want to wish to be a billionaire. I am quite comfortable enough where I’m currently at.
This notion of wishing for more can sometimes get our society into trouble. It’s what the goal of all these commercials is all about. To help the consumer want more. To get more. To feel like what they have in this moment is not enough for contentment and satisfaction.
Like wishing for a new house. Or more money. Or more status. Or getting that promotion. Or finding that ever elusive life partner.
It’s a never ending story that just makes us want more and more and more. Fantasy-wise, it’s a cool gesture to have. Getting three wishes from an all-powerful Genie would be quite fun.
Aside from more money, what else could I wish for? I genuinely don’t know. I could wish for ever-lasting peace in this world. I could wish for an end to climate change. I could wish for better health care in our USA society.
The wishes would be endless. But, there’s always that feeling that getting what you want may not be what it initially seems like.
There’s still a list of side effects that these achievements could have on the greater world. There’s always that saying “be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.”
That’s how I feel about having three wishes these days. It seems too good to be true. It’s like how lottery winners don’t necessarily end up happier after they win the lottery.
It’s the opposite of a blessing in disguise. So, I really don’t know whether or not I need three wishes. I’m fairly content with where I am at this moment.
Financially afloat. Having two loving parents. Being able to breathe in this world is a wish fulfillment that is more than enough. Not many people are able to appreciate the life they have in this moment.
Even with a raging pandemic that is ravaging the vast majority of the world, we can still learn to appreciate the moment that we have right now.
Life is not as simple as just wishing things away. Or wishing for things to go your way. It’s more than that. It’s learning to appreciate your life for what it is. Learning to count your blessings. And just being able to experience life in all its grandeur and magnificence.
As a child, I would think about the three wishes that I most want. And more often than not, I cannot pinpoint exactly what it is that I want. Do I want more money? More status? More friends? More appreciation? What exactly is it?
It’s most likely because all that I “want” I already have. Everything else that I “get” from this moment on is simply a blessing and a gift. And I should learn to appreciate it.
Am I a billionaire yet? Far from it. But, at least, I can appreciate that I am financially sound enough to not starve out in the streets. I can appreciate my friends and family members for whom they are. I can appreciate this wonderful city called New York, that has woven so many intricate experiences into my life.
I can be thankful for what I have. Or I can wish for more. There’s no right or wrong decision. Both are fine. It’s just that when we obtain what we wish for, sometimes it is far from the ideal situation that we’d expect. And that’s okay.
So, it’s okay if you don’t have a magical genie that can grant you phenomenal cosmic power in the universe. Just think about how much that power can possibly influence the other diverse sides of the life you live. Think about how power could potentially corrupt. How it could potentially divide.
And think about how magnificent your life already is in the here and now. What else is there exactly to wish for - but to be in this moment?