Blog Party VI: Three Wishes

The time has come. I sit here in the dark, my face illuminated only by the glow of my monitor, and I still don't know what I'm going to say when the strange visitor returns. I don't actually BELIEVE in wishes. Some might argue that prayer is the same thing, but it really isn't. Even if there were some magical granting of wishes, there's so much to consider. Would I make the right decisions to improve my life in the long term? Would I regret my choices? Would I regret the wishes I DIDN'T make? And could I avoid the inevitable temptation to be too selfish, and deal with the responsibility of the consequences of my choices? As blue smoke curled from the lantern on my floor, I decided to just have fun and embrace the topic. Sometimes I wish I wasn't so serio--wait! Wait, don't count that! Here are my OFFICIAL wishes:


SUPER SPEED:

More and more, it seems like there just aren't enough hours in the day. Watching Dean Cain type so fast that his keyboard began to smoke, on an episode of Lois & Clark, it occurred to me that since I can't slow down time, it would be great if I could speed up. Initially, I'd apply it to something as mundane as my job. Past experience has taught me that the faster I am, the more work I'm given, which is how I ended up feeling so overworked to begin with. Armed with that knowledge, I would keep my speed a secret and though I'd finish a week's work in a day, I wouldn't hand in my assignments until they were due. With the free time I'd be able to write more on my blog, comment more on other blogs, and spend more time chatting with friends in general. My work day would end at five like it was supposed to, and I'd go from treadmill clown to treadmill stud. A respected runner, I could then enter various charity runs and use my abilities for the good of others. Best of all, I'd conserve gasoline by running to work instead of driving.


CEO OF MY OWN COMPANY:

Everyone has a boss. My supervisor reports to his boss, and he reports to someone even higher. Most people accept the fact that, in order to earn a paycheck, he or she will be doing things someone else's way. This can be frustrating at times, especially when it comes to art and writing. I like being able to come home at night and write anything I choose. I can post photographs that I like any time I want. Occasionally, I might even pull out my sketch pad and draw, though not as often as I'd like, and not as often as I should. 40-50 hours a week, however, I don't enjoy that freedom, and I'm not alone. I read the same complaints from various bloggers as I hear from my coworkers. I'd love to head up my own company, and give creative people the freedom they needed to truly thrive. From my instant genie-generated MCF Tower, my friends and I would produce whatever comics, films, magazines, and other media we'd choose. I know nothing about running a business however, but wishing for a company includes a capable staff. And with my super speed, it shouldn't take long to read every book and web site necessary to go from chump to Trump. I might not run for as many charities because even with super speed, running a business requires constant attention. But I'd have plenty of spare capital to donate to make a real difference.


GLOBAL INSIGHT:
I've come to the third wish, the most difficult one of all. Though I took in to account selfless applications of my first two wishes, they were both things that would primarily benefit ME. A wealthy, athletic philanthropist, I'd hardly be unpopular. What could I realistically wish for to benefit others, that wouldn't have consequences? If there was an end to disease, would the world grow overpopulated and tense? Would some people really welcome long lives on a planet where crowding and discomfort inevitably led to violence? Perhaps peace would be the better choice, for no one to fight. Would countries willingly share resources? What if they didn't? Wishes are tricky things that must be worded carefully. I picture a world so passive and placid that no one fights for basic things like freedom or survival, and people simply wither. Even a wish for worldwide immortality would sentence people to hell on Earth. Imagine the pain of a fatal gunshot wound that was no longer fatal, or a terminal illness that wasn't terminal. People would live in pain for eternity, and it would be anything but natural. Sooner or later, we all must leave this world for the next one.

Therefore, my final wish is one of KNOWLEDGE. I wish everyone in the world possessed full insight, the ability to foresee the possible outcomes of their actions before acting. Doctors stumped by viruses would anticipate the cure, and recognize when potential cures might do more harm than good. Terrorists would see the pain and suffering left in their wake long after they're gone, and realize their actions support no cause but misery. Businessmen would see ethical ways to make a profit, and recognize the value of human beings, never again considering layoffs a viable solution. Dictators would recognize diplomatic ways of obtaining what they needed from other countries, rather than simply taking it. Thieves would find other ways to make money as would drug dealers and prostitutes, and killers would sense what a knife or bullet might feel like, empathy preventing murder. If everyone had such vision, the world would be a better place. Free will would still exist, and knowing every possible outcome wouldn't guarantee that every individual would make the right choice. But perceiving options they might not have before would mean there was at least a CHANCE they'd choose wisely. With this last wish fulfilled, there would be HOPE.

* * * * *

Super Speed
My Own Corporation
Global Insight

I lifted my head from the keyboard and glanced in the mirror. The letters “ghjkl” ran across my forehead. On my screen, another blog party host entry had been completed. There was no lantern, and no genie. Yet the topic had me thinking, which was never a bad thing, and hopefully in the next few days I'd see evidence of my neighbors thinking as well. I wondered how people would react in a week or so when I revealed what my figment meant by “inevitable”, but for now I looked forward to reading everyone's wishes, and to sharing them in one place in Tuesday night's afterparty post.