The Lamp, The Wish and The Lesson

Posted by Ellen M. DuBois on Thursday February 15, @10:02AM

There once was a man who walked alone. He was unhappy all the time. He lived in a small, dark, basement apartment in a city full of people who didn't know he existed. He didn't want to know them, either. He thought they were all miserable.

He'd long ago decided that he would take a trip someplace wonderful, but never did.

The opportunity was now upon him as the obsolete printing press he worked for was out of business and he, without a job.

His savings were considerable because he spent most of his time alone in his apartment. So, he went to the bank and took out a large amount of money for his trip.

He knew he wanted to visit a place where he wouldn't be surrounded by people -- so he chose the desert, a most unusual choice. He thought if he were away from all the hustle and bustle, he'd find some peace; for the world to him was a terrible place.

While on the plane he thought about his life. Even back to his childhood memories there seemed a black cloud over his head. He never saw the good in anything or anyone and wondered what life would be like if all were wonderful-- all the time.

Even when there was nothing particularly wrong, he found something to feel bad about.

After arriving at his destination, he took his meager belongings to the hotel. He even complained about that saying it was not what he'd expected. It wasn't lavish enough, or clean enough and the staff wasn't attentive enough.

On his second day of his vacation, after getting a night's rest, he'd decided to take a walk in the desert. There were tours available, but he didn't want to be amongst people.

"You shouldn't go out there alone," the tour guide emphasized.

But, he didn't listen and armed with a compass to guide him, he began his lonely exploration of the desert.

Beads of sweat formed quickly upon his face and he was glad that he'd brought plenty of water. After walking quite a distance, he sat upon a rock and drank from his canteen.

Staring at the sand, he came to notice that it consisted of millions upon millions of tiny particles making one expanse of desert. Pleased at his observation, he smiled for the first time in a very long time. It was an unfamiliar feeling.

He ran his hands through the sand, not realizing that he could be bitten by a poisonous creature lurking beneath it. After several minutes of letting the sand run through his finger and fall back into the desert, he felt something hard beneath the surface.

He pulled his hand out quickly, surprised and afraid. Was it a rock? An animal? A skull?

He pondered for several moments but his curiosity got the best of him and he dug his hand into the exact spot where he'd felt the object.

Pulling it out of the sand, his eyes widened. He examined it closely and was astounded at the awesome shine of the gold lamp.

"I have found a treasure," he yelled to the silence, quite pleased with himself.

The lamp grew hot in his hand as the heat from the sun beamed upon it -- so hot in fact, that he had to release it.

He wanted to take it home, but each time he attempted to pick it up, it was hotter to the touch.

Frustrated, he plunked his head in his hands and stared at the glorious lamp.

It began to move, or was it his imagination? A mist of blue, green and silver was beginning to escape from the tip of the spout. Thinking he was dehydrated, he took a gulp of water, hoping that his mind would clear.

It didn't.

The mist grew larger until it surrounded him and he could no longer see the desert. His entire being was surrounded by this unknown mist.

He felt his body cool.

What is happening to me? He wondered, amazed and afraid at the surreal site around him.

The mist twisted faster and faster until it resembled a tornado of color. The man stared in disbelief. As it slowed, what once was a mist evolved into a solid mass. That of a person.

The "Genie" stood at least ten feet tall and was adorned in silks of many colors, some of which the man hadn't seen before. His eyes were the color of midnight blue and his skin appeared translucent like an opal.

The man shook upon the rock, afraid to move.

"What are you?" he stammered.

"You have found me. I am a Genie."

"A Genie? No," he shook his head, "that can't be. You don't exist. I am going crazy."

"I don't exist? What is existence? Do you exist? Just as sure as you are seated upon that rock I am standing in front of you now waiting to grant you one wish."

"A wish?"

"Yes, but just one so please think very carefully before you tell me your desire. For once you have spoken, your wish will be granted and the results can never be reversed."

The man stared into the Genie's eyes, still unsure if this was a dream induced by too much sun.

"Oh, what the hell," he said. "If you're not real there's nothing that will come of my wish and if you are I will get what I want." He thought hard, but it didn't take him long to come up with his wish.

His mouth opened but before he could speak, the Genie extended his very large hand out as if to say STOP.

"Remember what I said," he reminded him, "think carefully before you speak. Imagine ALL the implications and results of your wish. There are always two sides to everything, so do not limit your perception. Think of a coin. Heads and Tails make the one coin. It wouldn't be real without both sides."

Dismissing what the Genie was saying, the man quickly spoke. "I am tired of everything in my life being terrible. People don't care, I just lost my job, my apartment is the pits. I want EVERYTHING IN LIFE TO BE WONDERFUL ALL THE TIME. THAT IS MY WISH."

The Genie began turning and twisting very quickly until he transformed into the mist he once was. As quickly as he appeared, he disappeared back into the small opening of the spout."

"Your wish is granted," the man heard the Genie's voice say.

And all was still.

After sitting for several minutes, the man got his bearings and decided to cut his desert excursion short and head back to the hotel. At first, nothing seemed different. The desert looked the same, the sky did and so did he. After walking for some time, he noticed one thing was different.

He had no desire to drink. He was not thirsty in the scorching heat of the sun and he was not sweating at all.

How odd? He shook his head and continued walking, noticing that the sand no longer felt like it weighed his feet down.

When he finally reached the hotel, he was greeted by smiling faces wherever he went. So unlike the city where no one noticed him. From the woman at the desk to the elevator attendant, a smile and a hello met him.

This must be part of my wish, he thought in amazement.

He turned the key to his hotel room and found it to be a luxurious suite. Nothing like he had before, but it was indeed the same room number. Amazed at the glorious site before him, he plopped down on the most comfortable bed he'd ever felt and laughed.

"Thank you Genie, wherever you are! For everything around me is wonderful!"

A week passed and his trip came to an end. It was a week of delicious meals, fine weather, happy people who wanted to talk to him and more. He wondered how much better life could possibly be?

The trip home went smoothly. Everyone on the plane was smiling and the food even tasted good. His ticket had mysteriously been "upped" to first class and he basked in the glory of feeling significant.

A cab seemed to find him at the airport and he started the trip back to his apartment. The cab driver cheerfully talked for the entire ride and even discounted his rate.

With a spring in his step, the man went downstairs to his basement apartment and put the key in the door.

He stopped in amazement and dropped his suitcase.

All of his furnishings were gone and there was nothing left but a note taped to the wall.

"We have moved your new furniture up to the penthouse as requested. We hope you are happy in your new home." Signed, The Management.

The man jumped for joy and ran up the stairs to the main floor, hopped in the elevator and found his way to the penthouse. Upon opening the door, he nearly fainted in delight. It was the finest abode he'd ever seen. Each piece of furniture was to his exact liking, the walls were the perfect color. There was nothing about the penthouse that he would change. He was delighted.

He noticed an answering machine blinking and he pressed the button.

"You have won a billion dollars! Come claim your winnings at once!"

Immediately, he fainted.

Upon awakening the next day on the floor, he quickly remembered the message. He got up quickly and cleaned and dressed. He now had a closet full of the finest suits money could buy.

Everyone smiled and greeted him on his way to pick up his fortune. He was indeed happy and thought life was wonderful.

Months went by of fine meals, happy people, no problems, money everywhere and sheer glee. That is, until an uneasy feeling started to plague him.

He began losing sleep. Night after night he tried to figure out where this odd feeling was coming from which was caused him such discomfort. He had everything he could possibly want! Yet, he could not shake his uneasiness.

One night, out of sheer desperation and lack of sleep, he cried out for the Genie.

He got no response.

For days he wandered the streets, passed smiling people, had women dote on him, and indulged in wonderful meals. He bought whatever he wanted. Nothing, however, could rid him of the aching feeling deep within himself that seemed to grow each second.

Even when it rained, the drops did not touch him.

Now close to exhaustion, he cried out again for the Genie while in bed.

This time, a familiar mist began to form at the foot of his bed. Colors of blue, green and silver swirled as they had done when the Genie first appeared to him and the mist took the form of the Genie himself.

"Why do you call out for me? You have your wish!" He sounded angry.

"Genie, I have nothing but thanks for you. But, I am haunted now by a feeling that I cannot describe and it is causing me to lose sleep. I have everything I've ever wanted. The world is wonderful to me, just like I asked. What is it that is wrong with me? Please, Genie, tell me what I must do to make this feeling go away?"

The Genie looked at him long and hard with his midnight eyes. He didn't speak for several moments as the man sat trembling in his bed.

"Do you remember the coin?"

The man thought hard and had no recollection of a coin.

"No," he said.

"No? Why, you didn't listen to me carefully when I told you to think long and hard about your wish. You were so eager to get on with it that you disregarded my advice. That is your fault entirely."

"Please, Genie, tell me what I've missed! I must feel better so that I can enjoy all that you have given me, but I can't if I can no longer sleep!"

"Before you found me, your life was out of balance. It was tipped in one direction. The direction of misery. That is all your world consisted of because that is what you made it. There was good surrounding you all the time, but you didn't see it. You blinded yourself to it by wallowing in your self pity."

"I did? No, my life was miserable and it was not my fault."

"STOP!" the Genie yelled. "You must remember that your wish came with all consequences, as I told you. Just as I said the coin has two sides, so does life. You only saw one before, and after you met me, you wished for only one. Your scale is now tipped in the opposite direction, but it is still unbalanced."

"What do I do?"

"I cannot help you. I gave you your wish. Only you can help yourself by knowing that balance is the key to all happiness within yourself. You cannot have it all one way -- good or bad. If all is bad, you forget the good, and if all is "Wonderful", you can't appreciate it because you have nothing to compare it to. Do you understand me?"

The man simply sat in his bed, shaking his head.

"I must leave you now, but hear these parting words and remember them well or you will be plagued with discontent and uneasiness for the rest of your life."

The man sat up straight and gave his full attention to the Genie.

"Without the rain, there's no joy in the sun. Without the tears, there's no warmth in a smile. Without the pain, there's no feeling of joy. Without hunger, one no longer appreciates food. Without hard work, one does not know relaxation. Without the cold, one does not feel heat, and without balance, one cannot be happy."

As quickly as he appeared, the Genie was gone and the man lay in bed, eyes wide open, trying to find himself.