I have been thinking for a long time now that the vast majority of “three wish” stories are to encourage people to remain happy in their stations.
Most “three wish” stories end with the recipient wishing that they had never discovered this stroke of fortune, and the ultimate lesson is “be happy where you are, because power makes you unhappy and sometimes raises the dead to knock on your door.”
That seems pretty unrealistic to me.
And as an addendum, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that for some folks, the first thing they try to wish for is more wishes.
A little power makes you want more power, and those who already have power want to prevent those who do not from getting it. Best way to keep them from aspiring…?
Get them to keep reading “three wish” stories!
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Footnote: Penn & Telller’s “three wish” story is hilarious, of course.