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If you were to be granted 3 wishes by a genie, what would they be and why?

Alexia

History, Psychology - Columbia University
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Junior at Columbia studying history & psychology.

If you were to be granted 3 wishes by a genie, what would they be and why?
I’m a simple girl. When a genie pops out of a magic lamp that I happen to come upon in some set of obviously normal circumstances, I have but three wishes: one, to be able to time travel; two, to know how the universe will end; and three, to be able to fly. Time travel: it is the stuff of science fiction--of the worlds of Marty McFly and Austin Powers. The thing is, I want to be in the worlds of Marty McFly and Austin Powers. From the prim and proper 1910s to the grunge ‘90s, the 20th century was a time with everything. I want to see Jimi Hendrix play the national anthem at Woodstock; I want to watch the Berlin Wall fall on live television. These times were teeming with culture, and I want to have been a part of it. Next up: knowing how the universe will end. Many times have I sat down and browsed Wikipedia pages having to do with theoretical physics, inevitably falling down a rabbit hole leading to me trying to understand the Big Crunch theory (which is the ideal way for the universe to end--how awesome is the idea of the universe imploding on itself in a reverse Big Bang?). I want--no, need--to have my curiosity quenched. There are so many possible ways for the universe to cease existing, nonetheless so many explanations of how it exists and its nature in the first place. If anyone could give me the answers I seek, it’d be a genie in a bottle. Finally, being able to fly. It’s a common dream, really. Being able to fly has a plethora of advantages: take a trip to Paris or fly out of an embarrassing situation, it doesn’t matter. The world is in your hands (or rather, at your feet). I love the idea of infinite possibilities--I want to fly to every city in the world, learn every language I can, or even visit the moon. The ability to fly, if granted to me by the genie in question, would allow me to fully experience the limitlessness of the world. With these three things granted to me, I wouldn’t need to wish for more wishes. This genie would have given me everything I will ever need in life--the ability to make an impact on the world, sacred knowledge, and access to all of the resources of the universe.

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