Friday, December 28, 2012

Djinn

evil genies
all magic comes at a price

A classic story found around the world is that of the Djinn. While some simply associate them with genies or wish granters of some kind the truth is far more sinister. The Djinn is actually the original genie from which all subsequent wish fulfillment stories come from. The Djinn is also quite the trickster. His story teaches us the dangers of taking shortcuts to getting what we want. He will grant your wish in the most twisted of ways. It's where the popular saying "be careful what you wish for" comes from. It also teaches you to be careful of how you phrase your wish, often the trick is simply knowing how to ask for what you want. Foolishly rushing through a wish leads to unforeseen consequences. So it teaches diligence, due process, and careful planning. The most important thing really is knowing what you really want and what it's worth to you, what you're willing to sacrifice for it.

Simply asking for a million dollars tends to in the case of the monkey's paw kill someone you love for insurance money in a car accident or come from a bank robbery. These strings are only there because you didn't specify how you wanted to get the million. This isn't just a matter of greed either, you're not being punished for being selfish. The Djinn simply works in such a manner that it doesn't like you and will find any way it can to make you regret your wish. In another story where someone is aware of the nature of the Djinn they encounter they try to play it smart. In the end they're forced into making a wish and they give it away to someone else and it still backfires on him even though he didn't make the wish himself because it was his wish. Several other similar stories teach the lesson that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Giving the person exactly what they want but at great moral cost.

The best possible thing you could ever do when meeting a Djinn is to not ask for anything. Just walk away or make a selfless as possible wish if you can't get away for some reason. Be extremely careful and thoughtful in how you make your wish as well and hope for the best. Meeting a Djinn is a curse not a blessing as it would seem at first and you should treat it as such. If I were to ever get such a wish I'd most likely ask for something intangible such as knowledge or wisdom of some kind or a specific skill and the ability to use or apply it. The most likely consequence of this would be simply how I receive this possibly causing me a seizure or being the result of a brain tumor and thus I'd have to be extremely careful in my specific wording after I confirm that I can specify conditions on how I receive my gift.

Remember Djinn in the same way you remember the trojan horse, beware of strangers bearing gifts.

2 comments:

  1. Yeah it would be nice if they weren't tricky, sadly not like the Disney genie.

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