"Asimov, Isaac - Magical Wishes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Asimov Isaac)

money, and you don't have to make an effort. You just sit
there. Getting yourself outside a square meal can be very
troublesome, however.

Again, suppose that someone brings you all the food you
can eat. In that case, it's getting fat that requires no effort (if
you don't count the tiny effort it takes to lift the food to your
mouth, chew, and swallow). To avoid getting fat, however,
means eating less than you probably want to and engaging in
vigorous exercise besides.

10

Isaac Asuaov

This is not something that has escaped the notice of hu-
manity generally. I'm absolutely certain that even the mean-
est intelligence has noticed how readily one can be poor,
hungry, thirsty, cold in the winter, hot in the summer, while
finding oneself with nothing to wear, nothing to read, and
nothing pleasant to do.

Not only does one have to take trouble and make an effort
in order to avoid all these lousy things for which there is no
charge, but there is no limit on the quantity of trouble and
effort you may have to make. Most people can work hard all
their lives and stint no effort doing so, and yet find them-
selves far short of the millionaire mark when they're through.

You may want to marry a rich man's gorgeous daughter
(or, if you are a woman, his handsome son), and for that
purpose you may bring into play every bit of charm you
haveЧand get nowhere. This may start you brooding over the
fact that you can probably, without any effort at all, succeed
in marrying any number of very poor. very ugly women (or
men).

Well, then. what are you going to do? You crave pleasant
things which take more of an effort than you can possibly
pump up in a lifetime of pumping, and you want to avoid
unpleasant things that arc being forced upon you against your
will and mat then stick to you despite your shouts of dismay.

It is easy to decide that there is something wrong with this.
In a properly run Universe, surely you deserve to get some-
thing simply because you want it. Even though this doesn't
seem to happen, there must surely be some trick to bring it
about. Perhaps there is some formula or spell that will give
you anything you want; you need only wish for it. Or else ^
perhaps mere is some supernatural being willing to gratify Х^