The Wish Fulfilling Tree
Author: Ken Homer Issue: 2022-11-02
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The Wish Fulfilling Tree
by Ken Homer
There is an old parable from the Hindu tradition that has been around for thousands of years. It concerns a magical, wish fulfilling tree. I have heard two versions of the tale, though I am certain that others exist.
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The first version goes like this: One day, a man who had been walking for many hours came upon this tree and so lovely did it look and so intoxicating was its scent that he sat down under its branches to rest. As he was resting, he realized he was thirsty and he thought to himself, I wish I had something to drink. Instantly, a vessel filled with cool spring water materialized next to his hand and he drank his fill. Then he noticed that his stomach was growling and that he was quite hungry. I wish I had something to eat, he thought and to his amazement a sumptuous meal appeared before him. He ate the repast with gusto. Then he realized his legs were tired and sore from all the walking and he thought to himself, I wish I had someone to massage my legs. Instantly a young woman appeared and began to massage his aching muscles.
Amazed at his good fortune he stifled a yawn and realized he was exhausted. He thought to himself, I wish I had a nice bed to sleep in. Instantly a bed appeared that was the most comfortable he had ever experienced. As he was dropping off to sleep, he realized that he was in a remote part of the forest, known far and wide as the abode of many tigers. He thought to himself, I sure hope a tiger does not come along and eat me while I sleep. Instantly a tiger appeared and feasted upon the man.
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The second version is much like the first except that the traveler did not think of a hungry tiger and had a nice long nap in that wonderfully comfortable bed. Upon awakening, he thought to himself that there must be a genie around somewhere. He got up to investigate and soon came upon a tree even lovelier than the first. Beneath it sat a small but powerfully built man. The man called to him.
Come, come! I am a genie who has been bound to this tree for so long I can’t recall. If you agree to take me with you the spell will be broken, and I can leave. I will give you anything you wish for in exchange for freeing me. But know this, if you run out of things for me to do, I will devour you.
The man thought it over a bit, it sounded good, but the threat of being eaten was ominous. Finally, after considering all the work to be done at his home, he agreed, and the genie accompanied him home.
When they got to the man’s farm, the man ordered the genie to dig a new well. No sooner did he request this than the well was completed. He ordered a new fence to be built and it appeared almost instantly. Concerned that he would quickly run out of tasks, he told the genie to count slowly to 10,000 and while he was counting, he sought out the village sage and explained his predicament and asked for help.
The sage advised him to have the genie construct a tall pole and whenever he could not think of a task for the genie to complete, to have the genie climb up and down the pole, which would keep him busy until the man had time to think of other tasks.
The man followed the sage’s advice, and he lived happily in the ever after.*
There are numerous interpretations of this parable. Some say the wish fulfilling tree is God, others nature, still others say it points to our own mind’s ability to manifest our desires – though usually not quite so instantly.
It is the last interpretation that interests me the most in this moment of human history. Our collective minds have indeed manifested so much. Billions of people now enjoy a lifestyle that was unimaginable for the majority of people who ever lived. Even the mightiest Emperors housed in the most opulent palaces did not enjoy the standard of living that most people in the middle class of the Global North have access to today.
As a facilitator, I have learned that a group’s attention is akin to wish fulfilling tree. Ask them to dream about a tasty meal and soon everyone gets nourished. Focus them on hungry tigers and watch tensions and tempers flare. The role that the media plays is very much that of a facilitator, constantly directing the attention of billions of people.
The collective awareness and output of eight billion minds is a wish fulfilling tree. The trick, as we navigate the turbulence between eras, is to minimize the number of people turning toward thoughts of hungry tigers and optimize those who dream of a thriving world.
This is where the media, as facilitators of collective attention, is failing us. There are far more people dreaming a thriving world than there are people worried about hungry tigers, but hungry tigers grab most of the headlines 24/7/365!
What would a media system that served the correct functioning of our wish fulfilling tree look like? What would be some simple steps to take to change the focus of the media from “if it bleeds it leads” to “if it heals it’s our deal”?
**** *Most of us are familiar with “happily ever after.” However, the original phrase was “happily in the ever after” which gives a very different slant on things.
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