July 27, 2002
If Project: July
I recently discovered something called the If Project, which is a writing collaboration of deep thinking. Basically, a new question is put up once a month and you take that question and answer it in your diary/journal. You link back to the project page and they link to your answer. I really like this idea so I�ve decided to participate. The questions are posted at the beginning of each month, but seeing as I just stumbled upon the project, I�m answering July�s question a tad bit late.
If you were granted one wish exclusively for your personal use, what would that wish be? How would you satisfy your most self-indulgent craving?
My first impulse was to say that I would like to have a few hours alone with my father (he died when I was seven). I�d like to find out all about his life and what made him tick. What he liked, hated, feared, etc. Then I realized that I could expand on that and wish for an interview with one member from each generation of my family. That would be simply marvelous. I could get to know my ancestors, hear about their perils, struggles, passions.. I really find it hard to think of something that would be as rewarding as that.
Another though I had is psionics, or psychic powers for those of you who don�t know what psionics is. I would love to be able to read people�s minds, read the past through objects, move things with my mind, see the future. Of course I realize that these things are all curses as much as they are blessings but nevertheless they would be wonderful to possess.
A third idea was money. Not because I want to be insanely rich, because I don�t. Unlike most people I don�t wish for wealth, just enough money to live somewhat comfortably and pay for a nice apartment somewhere, a little car, and nice things for my apartment. I don�t mean expensive electronics either. I mean antiques. World War II items, old iconography.. things of that nature. I feel that this is entirely possible though, so as far as a wish for money goes, I wish for enough money to be able to spend years traveling. I want to see every catacomb I can find. I want to go to every stone circle in Britain. I�d like to visit every famous art gallery and every gothic cathedral in the world. I�d like to travel the jungles and discover Mayan ruins. I�d like to go to the Bermuda Triangle and search of Atlantis, the Anasazi people, and so many other things..
It would be so hard to choose one of the above things, just one, and I honestly don�t know which one I would pick, but I can say that I think it would most likely be number one. This is because number two could turn out to be more of a curse than anything else, and number three isn�t completely impossible, which leaves number one. When in doubt with wishes go with the most unlikely, no?
8:35 a.m.