Writing Prompt: You have three magic genie wishes, what are you asking for?

Today’s writing prompt reminds me of a story I wrote a few years ago on Medium.com. I no longer write on Medium and have removed my stories… so I will reshare my story here!

My original story was titled “If I Could Change The World” and contains my personal thoughts within a whimsical, fictional storyline.

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In A Faraway Land…

One day, while walking the beach, I happened to find an ancient bottle in the sand.

As I rub a smudge of sand off the bottle, the top pops off and a colorful spiral mist rises from the bottle.

A genie, named Jeanie, stands before me dressed in flowy garb.

Jeanie crosses her arms in front of her and, with her beautiful blue eyes, gives a hearty blink and tells me I now rule the world.

My new power is limited to 3 wishes. These wishes can only be used to change the world – not for my own personal gain.

Wish #1 — Understanding

Why not wish for world peace?!

We need a sense of peace but we also need to be individuals and… where there are individuals, there are also differences.

The lack of peace in the world stems from our differences – not our similarities.

The Entitled

Our society is becoming one of entitlement. Those who feel entitled appear to be causing an uprising – possibly attempting to overthrow the masses.

When it comes to the self-entitled, it’s our differences that ignite their desire to react – often with damaging outcomes.

Addressing The Root Cause

If our differences cause the lack of peace, as Ruler of The World, I’d rather treat the root cause than generically wish for world peace.

Instead of world peace, my first wish (or law) as Ruler of The World would be for understanding.

The ability to truly understand each other — without making assumptions, judgements or unjustified persecutions — would solve the vast majority of the problem.

Wish #2 — Respect

I’m an advocate for being yourself – even if you’re different from most.

Respecting each other’s differences, even when we don’t agree, would be my second law as Ruler of The World.

Respect vs Being Offended

In addition to the self-entitled, we’ve become a society that gets offended by almost anything.

You can’t even say green M&M without offending someone!

When people treat each other with respect – and speak AND listen from a place of respect – there’s no need for anyone to feel offended.

Wish #3 — For Future Use

As Ruler of The World, I’ve built a solid foundation of understanding and respect.

I want my people to sprout and grow – individually – from the solid foundation I’ve built for them.

My ultimate wish is that people get along and feel free to be themselves. I see nothing else I could wish for that wouldn’t naturally come from understanding and respect.

My third and final wish will be held for future use… it never hurts to have a spare wish in your pocket!

Parting Thoughts

I’ve always known I’m a different duck. No worries, though, as I’ve learned to embrace my different duckness!

One of my earliest childhood wishes was that people just get along, regardless of their differences.

As a society, it’s our differences that make us stronger – not our similarities.

I’m curious to know… if you found a genie in a bottle, what would you wish for?

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About The Photo: The Bottle In The Sand photo was created by me using Leonardo.ia.