I Found a Genie in A Bottle - She Said I Now Rule the World!
I love a good writing prompt and this one spawned a story from the quirky recesses of my mind 🙃
"If you could change the world, what would be the top 3 things you would do?"
In a faraway land…
I was walking along the beach when I spotted an ancient bottle half-buried in the sand. As I rub a smudge of sand off the bottle, the cork pops off and a colorful spiral mist rises from within.
A genie, named Jeanie, stands before me dressed in flowy garb. She crosses her arms in front of her, gives a hearty blink with her beautiful blue eyes, and tells me I now rule the world.
My new power is limited to just 3 wishes used to change the world - not for my own personal gain.
Wish #1 - Understanding
Why not wish for world peace?! Because peace without understanding is just forced silence, not true harmony.
We need to address the root cause. The lack of peace in the world stems from our differences, not our similarities. We need to be individuals and, where there are individuals, there are differences.
The ability to truly understand each other - without making assumptions, judgements or unjustified persecutions - would solve the vast majority of the problem.
Rather than generically wishing for world peace, my first decree as Ruler of The World would be for understanding.
Wish #2 - Respect
I’m a big proponent of being yourself… even when you’re different from most, like me!
You don’t have to agree with someone to treat them like a human being.
When people treat each other with respect - and stop trying to win and start trying to relate - the outrage in the world would fade away.
Respecting each other (and our differences) would be my second decree as Ruler of The World. Not the kind that’s earned, negotiated, or demanded, but the kind that’s an automatic human right.
Wish #3 - Keeping a Spare
Now that I’ve built a solid foundation of understanding and respect, most of the other problems people fight about will solve themselves.
I’m keeping my third wish sealed in the bottle because the future might need something I can’t yet see.
It’s always good for the Leader of the World to have a spare wish in their pocket, right?!
Parting Thoughts
One of my earliest childhood wishes was that people just get along, regardless of their differences.
I wish people could see it’s our differences that make us stronger, not our similarities.
I may not control the whole world but I absolutely control my inner world - and that’s where every real revolution starts.
So tell me, if you found a genie in a bottle how would you change the world?
Connie 🌼
Previous •