# You have one wish.... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 27, 2014, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882 "2014-01-27T21:06:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882/41 "2014-01-28T15:45:04Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > The one person guaranteed to have his wish granted. Look closer: Even though it doesn’t break any of the rules, it _can’t_ be granted. To grant my wish would take the wish I wished away. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882/42 "2014-01-28T17:32:52Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > I think the point of the OP is more along the lines of “If you had an infinitely wealthy benefactor, what would you ask for (can’t ask for cash)”… > > I’m sure if someone came up to you with those conditions, there would be much less bitching (or not?) > > This is actually pretty tough. Real estate? Material things? Once-in-a-lifetime experience? > > I’d probably either ask for an unlimited lifetime airline pass, a world tour of the 3-star michelin restaurants, or lifetime courtside seats to the Wizards (maybe Lakers, Heat, Knicks, Rockets, and Bulls as long as I’m wishing). Except for the part where you are allowed for your personal cancer to be healed. Otherwise, I think you’re right on the money. To have fun w/ the post you have to do away with the wish-for-more-wishes because really, what fun is that in terms of interesting conversation? We’d all instantly become a bunch of self gratifying wish makers. In terms of what I would want… to be in perfect health would be nice. In terms of what I would want that money could buy… To be given an entrepreneurial business of some sort that I could run, and ultimately pass on to my kids if they so desire. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882/43 "2014-01-28T18:11:46Z")
All I’m lacking is money. If I can’t wish for a billion dollars, I’ll pass on the wish. Trying to sift through all those qualifiers give me a headache. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882/44 "2014-01-28T18:21:25Z")
How about this: I wish to have a 30 year, prosperous, and happy retirement. Does this meet all of the criteria? J. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882/45 "2014-01-28T18:25:06Z")
I’ll settle for tomorrow’s winning Powerball numbers, assuming I can get them today. I’ll take care of it after that. ---
**Author:** ![This\_Just\_In\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@This\_Just\_In\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/This_Just_In_2)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882/46 "2014-01-28T18:33:38Z")
I wish to have perfect memory of everything that is possible to be known by a human being. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882/47 "2014-01-28T18:46:18Z")
Now that the restrictions have been removed, I’d settle for wuv, twoo wuv, which was within the restrictions (technically?) anyway. Heck, just a nice companion to walk through life with would be good. Bumpin’ uglies entirely optional, honestly. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882/48 "2014-01-28T18:46:55Z")
> [@This\_Just\_In\_2](#): > > I wish to have perfect memory of everything that is possible to be known by a human being. With or without color blindness? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882/49 "2014-01-28T19:04:56Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Look closer: Even though it doesn’t break any of the rules, it _can’t_ be granted. To grant my wish would take the wish I wished away. I’m not seeing the paradox here. You wish for fewer wishes, and it’s self-granting: since you only get one wish, wishing for fewer wishes leaves you with zero wishes. Done! I suppose there might be a paradox if the wish is expected to somehow be granted _simultaneously_ with the wishing, rather than _immediately upon completing_ the expression of the wish. But the latter is the earliest possible, since the genie (or whatever automatic process fulfills the wishes) has to understand your wish before granting it, which means you have to have finished saying or thinking the wish first. Now you could wish _to have originally had_ fewer wishes, which would set up a paradox if it wasn’t in violation of rule #5. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882/50 "2014-01-28T19:14:02Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I wish I could. This one sets up something akin to a paradox. You can’t wish for more wishes, so instead, you use a wish to wish you could wish for more wishes - to, in effect, change the rules concerning what you can wish for. And when that’s granted, the upshot is that the wish for more wishes is now a legitimate wish after all. You can, _with your next wish_, wish for more wishes. But you don’t have a next wish. You started with one wish, and you used it. It’s gone. So you’re SOL. If you’d started off with the traditional three wishes, or even two (why does nobody ever get granted _two_ wishes?), you’d now have unlimited wishes. But instead, you started off wish. Oops. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882/51 "2014-01-28T19:14:50Z")
No bad luck. Ever. Nothing bad and unlikely to occur to me. Flu? Sure. African Exploding Monkey disease? Nope. Minor fender bender- sure. Fatal accident- never. Plane delayed-Ok. Plane crash- not gonna happen. and so forth. Now, if Mr Gotsbux offered me a 'wish"- that is non-magical, I’d just want to retire comfortably now, in a home of my own, nothing fancy. If it had to be more fun, then I’d want free deluxe VIP Disney trips for life. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882/52 "2014-01-28T19:17:37Z")
Based on the original restrictions, I’d wish for a superhumanly intelligent seed AI which has serving me as one of its mastergoals. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882/53 "2014-01-28T19:33:35Z")
My wish would involve some personal health issues and body issues. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882/54 "2014-01-28T19:35:13Z")
I’ll wish for a good job back in the States. That would simplify a lot of immigration issues for Mrs Iggy, Iggyette, and I. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882/55 "2014-01-30T22:08:28Z")
I guess I’d wish to be funny enough or serious enough or listened to enough to be able to hold some sort of position in this country that payed the family bills. One where people would smile some, but see through to the point (most of the time) of what I’m trying to say and to think about it. Not that they’d have to agree with me, but just that they’d be entertained enough… just to think about it. Something like that might not move mountains or solve injustice… but it might make just the smallest dent in the mountain that must be moved to make our country… if possible… a slightly better place. Its a matter of small degrees at best… and its really… even with a major wish… more than I can ever hope for. It would be something though; a mark to show that someone was here to take the mantle from their elders… that they tried and that they cared. Something my kids could look back on someday… and maybe their kids. Wouldn’t that be something. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882/56 "2014-01-30T22:23:04Z")
Don’t know whether this violates any of the OP’s rules, but: I want the ability to change any part of my body, at will. This could include losing weight without dieting or exercise; restore lost hair; grow a few inches; cure my diabetes; normalize blood pressure; look years younger; have greater sexual stamina, temporarily become female just to see what it’s like, etc., etc., etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-one-wish/679882.md?page=2)