You can of course make mistakes when wishing, as happened in Oscar Wilde’s famous novel “The picture of Dorian Gray”. The novel is the story of a hedonist who would like to turn his life into an aesthetic work of art and because of this is haunted by the deepest despair. Dorian, a rich and handsome young man, is irresistibly attracted to the fascinating personality of Henry Wottons, a witty and cynical dandy, and is tempted by him to live a reckless youth. “If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that – for that – I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that”, Dorian wished. He then began to live life without any moral considerations, drove his lover to suicide when he grew tired of her, and headed towards ever-greater ruin. In spite of his excesses he remained young and beautiful; however, the portrait that a painter had done of the twenty-year old changed and reflected Dorian’s spiritual and physical decay.
Dorian’s wish was not well thought-out, he only cared about one aspect of his life: his appearance – yet real happiness lies inside. It isn’t really their own physical beauty, or a big and expensive car, or a diamond on their finger that people truly wish for themselves. All this and a lot more is merely the expression of the feeling of being alive that we all want to experience. We want to be happy!
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