Monday, March 15, 2010

STOP THE WORLD -- I'M GOING FISHING

I was finishing a new post when I got this piece (from Sanjeev) in my inbox. It's nothing new because I have seen it before and maybe so have you. It's been circulating around on the internet for so long. But when I saw this, a friend came to mind. Anyway, do take time to read this. :-)

One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out into the sparkling blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish.

About that time, a businessman came walking down the beach, trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He noticed the fisherman sitting on the beach and decided to find out why this fisherman was fishing instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family. "

"You aren't going to catch many fish that way," said the businessman to the fisherman. "You should be working rather than lying on the beach!"


The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, "And what will my reward be?"

"Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!" was the businessman's answer.

"And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman, still smiling.

The businessman replied, "You will make money and you'll be able to buy a boat, which will then result in larger catches of fish!"

"And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman again.

The businessman was beginning to get a little irritated with the fisherman's questions. "You can buy a bigger boat, and hire some people to work for you!" he said.
"And then what will my reward be?" repeated the fisherman.

The businessman was getting angry. "Don't you understand? You can build up a fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let all your employees catch fish for you!"

Once again the fisherman asked, "And then what will my reward be?"

The businessman was red with rage and shouted at the fisherman, "Don't you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living again! You can spend all the rest of your days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won't have a care in the world!"


The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "And what do you think I'm doing right now....?"

--- What I think is it's not wrong to work hard for your dreams. And it's okay to enjoy the fruits of your labor too. Lols! Find your balance. And --- pay no attention to some who think you are not doing enough. They haven't yet learned that it's not kind to judge people by appearances. Could he tell that this perceived lazy fisherman was actually a billionaire just having some good clean fun? :-)


8 comments:

  1. Hi Elen,
    Nice story that. The businessman should have known better than to follow the same line of questioning.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Indra,

    lols I guess the businessman was overly anxious to make his point understood. That was a smart fisherman tho lols .. it was pretty obvious where the conversation was going to end. :-)

    I went to your blog but couldn't get a comment in. Some technical glitch on that page. Anyway, I like the idea of a network of libraries. It's convenient although it does have its downside too, as you correctly pointed out. Thanks for that interesting post.

    Have a good day. See you around. And thanks for taking time to visit. God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Ellen, yeah, its nothing wrong to work hard for ur dreams and at the same time, one should enjoy the way he travells to reach the succes,despite of any ups and depths ..

    Good one...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have read this story many times.But I liked your comment at the end-to find a balance in what we do. That is the right approach.Thanks Ellen

    ReplyDelete
  5. Read this mail before but today it came to me with a new light, thanks a lot for sharing...I totally agree with you, one should find a balance so that life can be enjoyed peacefully and constructively!:)Have a great week ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Prams,

    So nice to share the same views about life and living with you. Heyy thanks for this lovely visit. So delighted by it. Take care. And blessings to you and yours.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi KP,

    Yes, balance is the key to almost of life's problems. But also the hardest to achieve. Thank you for taking time to drop by and with such a nice comment. The pleasure is all mine. Thank you. And God bless!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Sana,

    "...find a balance so that life can be enjoyed peacefully and constructively!:).." --- So true. If we strive to learn this well, surely life would be a cruise, won't it? :-)

    Glad that you could find the time to come by. Thank you for the pleasure of your visit. Blessings to you, my friend.

    ReplyDelete

:-) Here's where I warmly welcome you and where you leave your footprints behind with fond memories attached to it of wonderful chats and friendships. Thank you for your comments. Or send your comments to ellen622@gmail.com. Will be seeing you in your blog too. God bless you!