This Story is Linked with:
Ikigai – The Happiness of Always Being Busy
The original story is set in an unnamed harbor on the west coast of Europe. A smartly-dressed enterprising tourist is taking photographs when he notices a shabbily dressed local fisherman taking a nap in his fishing boat.
The tourist is disappointed with the fisherman’s apparently lazy attitude towards his work so he approaches the fisherman and asks him why he is lying around instead of catching fish. The fisherman explains that he went fishing in the morning and the small catch would be sufficient for the next two days.
The tourist tells him that if he goes out to catch fish multiple times a day, he would be able to buy a motor in less than a year, a second boat in less than two years and so on. The tourist further explains that one day the fisherman could even build a small cold storage plant later a pickling factory fly around in a helicopter build a fish restaurant and export lobster directly to Paris without a middleman.
The nonchalant fisherman asks “Then what?”
The tourist enthusiastically continues “Then without a care in the world you could sit here in the harbor doze in the sun and look at the glorious sea.”
“But I’m already doing that” says the fisherman.
The enlightened tourist walks away pensively with no trace of pity for the fisherman only a little envy.
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Version 2.0: The Parable of the Mexican Fisherman
The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large fin tunas. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied “Only a little while.”
The American then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish.
The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.
The American then asked “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said “I sleep late fish a little play with my children take siesta with my wife Maria stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.”
The American scoffed. “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked “But how long will this take?”
To which the American replied “Fifteen to twenty years.”
“But what then?”
The American laughed and said that’s the best part. “When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich; you would make millions.”
“Millions?” asked the fisherman. “Then what?”
The American said “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late fish a little play with your kids take siesta with your wife stroll to the village in the evening sip wine and play guitar with your amigos!”
The fisherman said ‘I sleep late fish a little play with my children take siesta with my wife Maria stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos.
I have a full and busy life!
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Read Next:
More Inspirational Stories
More on Positivity:
Positive Ink Will Never Let You Sink
More on Personal Development:
S.O.U.L. [School Of Unlimited Learning]
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