In a quiet Mexican fishing village, an American who was on vacation saw a local fisherman unloading his catch. He decided to approach him.
The American
asked the fisherman, “Why are you finishing your day so early?” The Mexican
replied “Oh Senor,
I have caught enough to feed my family and a little
extra to sell for today. It is now time to go for
lunch with my family and have a siesta. In the
afternoon, I can play with my kids. In the evening, I will go to the
cantina, drink a little tequila and play the guitar.”
The business
professor was horrified at the fisherman’s lack of motivation to succeed. He answered, “If you stay out at sea until
late afternoon, you will easily catch twice as
much fish. You can sell the extra, save up the money and in six months,
maybe nine, you will be able to buy a bigger
and better boat,
and hire some crew. Then you’ll be able to buy a second fishing boat and hire another crew.”
He continued, “In another year or two, you will have the capital to buy a second fishing
boat and hire another crew. If you follow this business plan, in six or
seven years, you will be the proud owner of
a large fishing fleet.”
“Just imagine
that! Then you can move your head office to Mexico City, or even to L.A. After only three or four years in LA, you
float your company on the stockmarket giving
yourself, as CEO, aqa generous salary package with substantial share
options. In a few more years –
listen to this! – You initiate a company share buy-back scheme, which will make you
a multi-millionaire! Guaranteed!”
The American got very excited at the prospect
himself. He said,
“I definitely know these things.
I’m a well known professor at the US Business School.”
The Mexican fisherman listened
intently at what the animated
American had to say.
When the professor had finished, the Mexican asked him, “But,
Senor Professor, what can a person do after getting millions of
dollars?” Now, the American professor hadn’t
thought that far. He was
taken aback by the question.
So he quickly
figured out an answer “Amigo! With all that dough, you can retire. Yeah! Retire
for life! You can buy a little
villa with a picturesque fishing
village like this one, and purchase
a small boat for going fishing in the morning. You can have lunch with your wife every day, and a siesta in the afternoon, with nothing to worry you. In the afternoon, you can spend quality time with your
kids, and after dinner in the evening, play guitar with your friends
in the cantina, drinking tequila.
Yeah, with all the money,
my friend, you can
retire and take it easy.” Puzzled with the American’s suggestion, the Mexican fisherman
replied, “but, Senor Professor, I do that already!”
Ajahn Brahm told the above story
in last Friday’s talk on “Dealing with Uncertainties in Life”. You can also read this
story in Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung?, a book
written by him. Ajahn Brahm had related the same tale last Friday,
to illustrate that contentment
is to be found in the Now. He pointed out that we do not need to get materially rich first before we can feel
happy.
Contentment or Cash?
In the story,
the Mexican fisherman may be poor but he is contented. But what if he has a desire to afford a better life for his
kids? Realistically, most of us so have dreams of a more abundant life. We would like to be able to afford
beyond the basic necessities. We desire
the flexibility of working as and when we want to, without struggle and worry
and to have excess time to pursue
our various interests. Is it possible to rewrite the story so that the Mexican fisherman (or you for
that matter) can have it all - money, loving
relationships, health, and
joy - without any major sacrifices?
How would you strike a balance
in your waking
hours for today,
whilst working towards
your dreams?
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