This past week, I started rewatching the cartoon classic, “The Fairly OddParents,” and it made me wonder what the best wishes would be if a magical fairy or genie in a bottle ever appeared to me. The cartoon mentioned before and Disney’s “Aladdin” both show the downsides and pitfalls of each wish. 

But there has to be that singular perfect wish. A wish where no one gets hurt and everyone leaves happy. I spent the last week debating and curating my perfect wishes, and I finally have my wishes secured just in case I ever stumble across a magic lamp. 

First, we need to establish the rules. I’m making all the classic ones apply here so I can’t just say “infinite wishes” and be done right there. I can’t make anyone fall in love, die, come back from the dead or have more wishes. With these rules in place, I can start to think about the best way to utilize my wishes.

My first wish would be to get rid of insecurities. I can’t take full credit for this since it was my friend, Khori Davis, who thought of this wish after I asked her what she would ask for. At first, I was confused, but the more she explained it to me, the more it made sense. 

Think about it: a world where everyone is comfortable in their skin and is confident in being who they are. This wish would solve other problems in the world like bullying, sexism, racism and more, since most of these issues are rooted in deep insecurities to begin with. It would also stop things like rampant consumerism and huge companies feeding off the public’s insecurities to get money. This first wish would fix a lot, but there is still more work to be done.

Some might wish for infinite knowledge, but I personally don’t think I would be able to handle the pressure of knowing everything. That’s why I would make my second wish to have all the lost knowledge of history be discovered.

Imagine knowing what was in the Library of Alexandria that burned down or having all 500 of Shakespeare’s plays at humanity’s fingertips. This wish would improve society and make us smarter as a whole without putting all the pressure on one person. 

Illnesses could be healed and the arts and sciences would be much more advanced than they are now. This wish would push us even closer to a perfect utopia.

Since my first two wishes were pretty selfless, I think I have the right to save my last wish for something I have always wanted: the ability to enter any fictional world I want. As a reader and writer, I often find myself daydreaming about what it would be like to be in the worlds of “Percy Jackson” or “Harry Potter” for a day.

Some people may think this gift is childish, but that is fine with me. If you don’t see the appeal of entering any made-up world you want at any time, that sounds like a you problem. If I had this wish, I would never be bored. Imagine “The Magic Treehouse” coming to life. Who wouldn’t want that?

So, there you have it. My top three wishes I would ask for if I ever got the chance. Hopefully, you see why I chose these wishes, and if you don’t, let me know what you would wish for if you ever got the chance in the comments.

Hannah Bulgrin is an opinion writer. Contact her at [email protected].