Wishes
Charles was a simple man. Everyone liked him and enjoyed his company. He was a man of high ideals. If only the world would be at peace, if only all sicknesses could be eradicated, if only people would just listen to one another and accept each other for who they are, life would be enjoyable. People could see the kind of person Charles was and admired him for his ideals. And they would listen to him. If only he could make some of those ideals come true.
Life
has a way of creating opportunities. You have to know that when you find them, you need to think carefully before you take them. Take wishes for example. If you were given three wishes, what would you wish for? Would you be altruistic and wish for world peace or the end of sickness? Would you be self-centered and wish for more wishes, riches, and fame? Or would you go so far as to wish for immortality and God-like powers? In most of the stories that have been told wishing for things, usually comes at a cost or with pre-wish conditions. And in a lot of cases, your wishes never turn out the way you expected.
But Charles was different, remember, he was a simple man. So when he was offered three wishes, he thought first. There were pre-conditions. He couldn’t wish for more wishes. He couldn’t wish for global things, like world peace or health. His wishes, in fact, had to be self-centered. He could wish for anything that would improve himself. So before he made his wishes, he thought about what he wanted that might allow him to reach his ideals. And these are what he wished for: He wished that he would be fluent in every language people spoke or signed. He wished that he could play proficiently any musical instrument that he was given. He wished that he had the power to both understand and communicate with all the living things. These were all qualities and talents he wished he had. And his wishes were granted.
Charles was a simple man at heart, but with the power to speak any language and understand animals,he became one of the most sought after people in the world. He could understand different points of view. He could realize solutions that others needed to act upon in order to work together.
Though he could communicate with animals, he never shared the fact that he could with others. Animals’ aid was important in his discussions with other people. Animals provided the data needed for ways to arrest global warming. Their knowledge of plants was invaluable in finding cures for many illnesses. All species would survive rather than become extinct.
And it worked both ways. Charles could also mediate conflicts between humans and animals. He had a way of explaining things to even the simplest of creatures that sharing rather than competing with humans was in their best interest. He convinced humans also.
Music was another way of communicating. In some instances like birds and crickets, it is their language. It is said that music soothes the soul and the savage beast. Charles could make music out of any instrument. He could make music from everyday objects. Not just sound, but beautiful music. And it was music that became the connection to all.
Thanks to Charles, the world became a better place. Was it perfect? Nothing is perfect, for we all continue to grow and meet different challenges every day. We need to adapt constantly.
It’s not a bad thing to have ideals, as improbable as they might be. For someday, maybe some part of them will come true. We just need to be more like Charles, be simple at heart, listen, find those pieces of ideals we can agree on, and work to make a better world. And hopefully, someday, we will.
