I love this story. I imagine it taking place in a small town in Maine
(something like Wiscasett. You ever been there? No? You should go.). Enjoy.
One summer, many years ago, a
banker was vacationing in a small village on the coast. He saw a fisherman in a
small boat by the pier with a handful of fish that he had just caught. The
businessman asked him how long it took him to catch the fish, and the man said
he was out on the water for only a couple of hours.
“So why didn’t you stay out there
longer to catch more fish?” asked the businessman.
The fisherman said he catches
just enough to feed his family every day, and then comes back.
“But it’s only 2 p.m.!” said the
banker, “What do you do with the rest of your time?”
The fisherman smiled and said,
“Well, I sleep late every day, then fish a little, go home, play with my
children, take a nap in the afternoon, then stroll into the village each
evening with my wife, relax, play the guitar with our friends, laugh and sing
late into the night. I have a full and wonderful life.”
The banker scoffed at the young
man, “Well, I’m a businessman from New York! Let me tell you what you should do
instead of wasting your life like this! You should catch more fish to sell to
others, and then buy a bigger boat with the money you make so you can catch even
more fish!”
“And then what?” asked the
fisherman.
The banker’s eyes got all big as
he enthusiastically explained, “You can then buy a whole fleet of fishing
boats, run a business, and make a ton of money!”
“And then what?” asked the
fisherman again, and the banker threw his hands in the air and said, “You’d be
worth a million! You can then leave this small town, move to the city, and
manage your enterprise from there!”
“How long would all this take?”
asked the fisherman.
“Fifteen to twenty years!”
replied the banker.
“And then what?”
The banker laughed and said,
“That’s the best part. You can then sell your business, move to a small
village, sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take naps in the
afternoon, go for an evening stroll with your wife after dinner, relax, sing,
and play the guitar with your friends. You would have a full and wonderful
life!”
The fisherman smiled at the
banker, quietly gathered his catch, and walked away.
[Source:
Timber Hawkeye, Buddhist Boot Camp]
I heard that story a little bit different from a fishermen of the Solomons and it always stuck a good chord in my life.
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