LexTalk

  A genie appears.

One wish.

Anything I want.

No loopholes. No tricks. No wishing for more wishes.

What do I choose?

I could wish for millions of dollars.

I could wish for a beautiful house overlooking the ocean.

I could wish to travel the entire world.

I could wish for success, financial freedom, or a life where I never had to worry about another bill again.

And believe me…

I’d be lying if I said all of those things don’t sound pretty freaking wonderful.

 
But if someone looked me in the eyes and told me I truly had one wish — one chance to change something about this world forever — I don’t think I could use it on myself.

I would wish for the abuse of children and animals to end.

Completely.

Forever.

Maybe That’s Technically Two Wishes…

If we’re dealing with one of those particularly difficult genies who wants to argue semantics, I suppose I’d have to word it differently.

So here it is:

I wish that the innocent and vulnerable would never again have to suffer cruelty at the hands of those who should protect them.

That’s my wish.

Take it or leave it, Genie.

And please don’t look for a loophole.

I’ve Always Been This Way

I’ve always had an incredibly soft spot for animals.

Even as a kid, I could watch a movie where something terrible happened to a person and somehow hold myself together…

But hurt the dog?

Absolutely not.

I’m done.

Someone turn this movie off immediately.

There has always been something about an animal being hurt that completely breaks my heart.

Maybe it’s because they don’t understand why someone is hurting them.

They don’t understand hatred.

They don’t understand punishment or cruelty the way humans do.

They just know whether they feel safe.

Whether they’re hungry.

Whether they’re scared.

Whether the person standing in front of them is going to reach down with a gentle hand…
or one they need to run from.

I can’t stand thinking about that.

And Then There Are Children

Children deserve to be children.

They deserve scraped knees from playing too hard.

Giggles when they’re supposed to be sleeping.

Birthday candles.

Blanket forts.

Someone cheering too loudly at their games.

Someone asking how their day went — and actually listening to the answer.

They deserve adults who make them feel safe enough to explore the world.

They should never have to learn fear inside the very place they’re supposed to call home.

And yet we live in a world where that happens.

To children.

To animals.

To some of the most defenseless among us.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to understand it.

Our World Can Feel So Cruel

There is so much beauty here.

I don’t want to forget that.

There are incredible people doing incredible things every single day.

People fostering animals.

People adopting the ones nobody else wanted.

People working in shelters and rescues.

Teachers noticing when something isn’t right.

Neighbors speaking up.

Families opening their homes.

People dedicating their entire lives to protecting children and animals they’ve never even met.

There is so much goodness.

But sometimes the cruelty feels unbearably loud.

And I think that’s what gets to me.

Because I don’t understand how another living being’s fear or pain could ever be entertainment, punishment, convenience, or something someone simply chooses to ignore.

I don’t want anyone to hurt.

But there’s something particularly devastating about suffering when the one experiencing it doesn’t have the power to simply walk away.

If My Wish Came True…

Every animal would know what a gentle hand feels like.

Every pet would have food in their bowl and somewhere warm to sleep.

No animal would spend its life wondering why nobody came back for them.

No animal would flinch when someone reached toward them.

Every child would have somewhere safe to call home.

They’d know what it feels like to be protected.

To be listened to.

To be wanted.

To be loved without having to earn it.

Imagine how different our world might look if every child grew up knowing they mattered.

Imagine shelters becoming empty because every animal had somewhere loving to go.

Imagine how much fear would simply disappear.

That would be my wish.

I Could Have Wished for Anything

And maybe that’s the strangest part of this little hypothetical question.

Because, sure…

I’d love financial freedom.

I’d love to travel more.

I’d love for all my dreams to work out.

I’d love a beautiful house and enough money that checking my bank account never made my stomach drop.

I’m human.

Of course I want things.

But if I only had one wish capable of changing something impossible?

I couldn’t spend it making my own life easier while knowing innocent beings were still suffering somewhere else.

So, Mr. Genie…

You can keep the mansion.

I’ll figure out the money.

I’ll work on my dreams myself.

Just give the children their childhoods.

Give the animals their safe homes.

Let the vulnerable know what it feels like to live without fear.

That’s worth more than anything you could ever put in my hands.