Imagine a system where each person is allowed to ask for only one real-life wish. Not money, not magic — just something realistic that other people could help with if they want to.
The constraint is intentional: one wish, ever.
How do you think this limitation would change what people ask for? What kinds of wishes would disappear, and which ones would remain?
The greatest single thing anyone could wish for is owning a home. Our system is rigged. Rent usually == mortgage + taxes + insurance
So the renter is paying off the landlords mortgage. At the end of 30 years cash flow neutral (or slightly positive) the landlord has an asset that exceeds most people’s net worth. If the renter could have bought instead they’d be miles ahead. The only reason they don’t is that coming up with 20% down is outside most people’s reach unless they’re thoughtful, clever, or lucky.
Most people are teetering one paycheck to another. How are they going to save a hundred or two hundred thousand? But boy if they can, life gets different.
whether that would be a ‘waste’ is a harder question to answer