let lemons be angry

"I Wish" is a graphic novel I read recently about a magician who grants people wishes. In return, they must give him their most precious possession. They often do not know what that most precious thing is; the moment the wish is granted, it will be taken from them.

Sometimes the price they paid was more important than the thing they wished for. A daughter wished for her father to become more loving, only to have him die as the price.

But more often, their most precious thing is something completely useless.

A studious boy wished for his friend to be healed, and in return he failed his entrance exams. It was stunning for him to realise that the thing he had treasured most had been something so trivial.

A mafia chief wished for his friend to not lose his eyesight after a wounding battle, and lost his long-cherished thirst for revenge upon his enemy.

A mother wished for her daughter to marry a rich man, and lost the greed that had made her dissatisfied everyday.

We all think we prioritize the big values: family, love, honour. But the choices we make day to day reveal what our true priorities are.


As for me, I'm afraid that my most precious thing might be revealed to be something utterly stupid--my appearance. If I should lie in hospital, my biggest inconvenience would not be my weak health, but that my friends would see me sallow and in ill-fitting hospital clothes. When I go to meetings, the first thing I think about is not what I can do for others, but what I should wear, and how I want them to see me. I get up, cultivate the outer me, and forget that the inner me needs gardening too.

It makes me shudder to think that in that secret treasure box of my heart, I might be keeping something of zero value. It might even be good if I lost it through a granted wish.

Relax, I'm not going to become all minimal and militant. There is a place and time for preserving appearances. But that time should not outweigh time spent on the inner things. And certainly not replace other more urgent fears. And if I should need to abandon it in light of other greater needs, I must be able to.

Who would have thought I'd have learnt a huge life lesson from a Korean manhwa?