The story that I have posted in this article is NOT my own work. I read it somewhere and would have been happy to give all the credit to its original author, if only the story had not ended with this line, ‘Written by Anonymous, with a hope to benefit many’. I’m paraphrasing the same story.
A rich American businessman was alone on a vacation in one of those exotic coastal villages of Mexico. Like most of the American tourists in Mexico, he went to a fishing pier, privately owned by the beach resort where he lived. In his five days of stay, he observed an interesting trend. A Mexican fisherman would go fishing in his small boat and would come back with a basket full of fishes, in about two hours. Out of curiosity, he asked the fisherman, “If you spend a few more hours, you could have more baskets of fishes. Why do you get back so quickly?” The fisherman replied, “I’m a busy man. Moreover this much fish is enough for my family and remaining I sell in the local market, which helps me earn my livelihood” Taken by surprise of the fisherman’s naivety, he said, “I have an MBA from Harvard and own a finance company in New York. So, I can help you streamline your process and expand your business” The fisherman replied, “I would love to get inputs from such an intelligent man like you” Then he asked, “First tell me, what keeps you so busy that you don’t want to invest more time to boost your income” The fisherman replied, “Well, after fishing, I drop my kids to school. Then, I and my wife cook. After which, I bring my kids back from school and we all eat together. Getting together with some friends for sipping wine and barbeque occupies the rest of my time. Of course I play the guitar during these gatherings. And there goes my day which compels me to sleep early so that I should be up early the next day to go fishing”. With a sarcastic chuckle on his face, he told the fisherman, “Look, your process is not efficient. If you spend more time fishing, you can sell more and with that extra money, you can buy your own motor boat by this year end. This would allow you to gather more fish in less time and if you continue working hard, ignoring your daily chores, you can then, may be, move to Los Angeles and do direct business with us Americans” Eagerly the fisherman asked, “And then…” Realizing his interest he continued, “Then you may want to focus on your own packaging company. Once you start on your own, you surely may want to consider listing it in New York City and move there from LA”. Again asked the fisherman, “And then…” “Well, if things work out well for you, you will be able to retire in next 15 years.” “And then…” “After retirement you can move to some calm village, enjoy the bright sunshine, spend time with your kids, sip some wine and play guitar with your friends” After listening to the entire plan given by the Harvard educated businessman, the fisherman replied, “Your plan isn’t good. To do what I’m doing currently, you are suggesting a path that wastes 15 years of my life. Am I not doing currently, what you want me to do eventually” He had no answer for this question and he thought in his mind, “This fisherman is leading a life, right now, which I plan to have 15 years from now. And in those 15 years I will have to give up all the simple, but essential, pleasures of my life, which this guy isn’t. It’s about time for me to start rethinking on my life choices”
I’m not sure how many of us actually give up enjoying each day at present, in a hope that we would be able to enjoy more in future. Life’s pleasures don’t really work like an investment. If we give up having fun today, we simply lose it. Working insanely hard so that you will be able to lead a great life in future would be something like cooking nonstop for one week, in a hope that the cooked meal will last for next one month and we will have able to relax in the coming weeks. By doing so, we would only exhaust ourselves and see our main purpose rotting, right in front of us. Keeping in mind the concept of ‘expiry date’ could certainly help us make wiser choices in life.
5 comments:
Very old well known story. But still refreshing.
Thx for your comments Mandy bhai. Some stories are timeless and can be useful to all :) like this one!
:) I guess to me this topic is a paradox. We say we work hard to achieve the goal we set. But in the process, we also gain some invaluable experience. This may not be possible if we had not tried a bit harder. Copying a quote from Chetan Bhagat's speech at Symbiosis - "A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts, having a side plan –"
But again it varies from person to person. :P
This is an old story but your writing has put some fresh breath into it. I frequently check your blog in a hope to see some quality stuff and I was find something interesting to read. You surely have the skill to write a book. Keep writing.
@Sutapa: I didn't get your comment. So, you don't agree with the moral of this story or you feel that one can make up for fun missed eventually? And regarding CB and his speech. Let me be honest. When people have critiqued Shakespeare and even dared to conclude that Romeo-Juliet was one of the most horrible dramas, I dare say, CB, his books and his logic are sorta those playing with the minds of those who have aspirations but limited exposure. Of course, you are entitled to have an opinion, which may not be in line with that of mine!
@Anonymous: I'm glad that you frequently visit my blog and are NOT disappointed so far. And your comment is flattering. Writing a book is in deed challengig, unlike posting articles. I'm better of with this... book, may be when I retire :)
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