An investment banker stood at the pier of a coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the boat were several large fish. The banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The fisherman replied, “only a little while.”

The banker then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The fisherman said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The banker then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, relax with my wife and stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my friends. I have a full and busy life.”

The banker scoffed. “I have a business degree and can help you,” he said. “You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, and eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middle-man, you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening up your own cannery. You could control the product, processing, and distribution,” he said. “Of course, you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to the city, then to the capital city where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the banker replied, “Oh, 15 to 20 years or so.”

“But what then?” asked the fisherman.

The banker laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time was right, you would sell your company and become very rich. You would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The banker said, “Then you could retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, relax with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play guitar with your friends.”

_{Adapted from The Parable of the Mexican Fisherman and Investment Banker, original author unknown, I’d read years ago and found again at this website https://aliabdaal.com/the-parable-of-the-mexican-fisherman/}

Before you read any further maybe take a moment and consider what your initial reaction was to the parable.

Here are my musings…

What strikes me first from the above parable is the fisherman saying ‘I have a full and busy life’. Full for me as in fulfilment – he feels fulfilled; he’s not wanting for anything else. He has enough to live his life and enjoy the experiences and relationships he has in his life.

Note how the banker doesn’t hear any of this. He just sees an opportunity to make money. His values are different. There is nothing wrong with making money and being an entrepreneur if that is what fulfils you and brings you happiness. But what the banker is doing is imposing his own ideals onto the fisherman.

I then realised that I’d assumed the fisherman was quite happy with the life he had. Yet he doesn’t actually say this. The investment banker assumes the fisherman is not happy perhaps? Both of us making assumptions. In hindsight the banker could have asked the fisherman this before he offered an alternative lifestyle based on his own expertise.

Then there’s the word ‘busy’. A mode of being that some people wear like a badge of honour associating it with being productive, important, useful… or as a tactic for avoiding something, someone, or even yourself.

Busy can easily be perceived as fulfilment, but what is your life filled with? Is what you want in there?

‘He had enough to support his family’s needs’ ~ I love this. He had enough.

There’s an implication of ‘trust’ in this. No need to stock up on fish, there will still be fish there tomorrow, especially as the fisherman only took what he needed. This reminds me of one of the three maxims inscribed at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi (associated with The Oracle of Delphi) ~ nothing in excess. The other two being ‘know thyself’ and ‘certainty brings insanity’…

The following famous quote also comes to mind:

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Maimonides (Moses ben Maimon) philosopher and scholar

Shifting the focus onto the banker I would ask ~ Why do we end load our ‘reward’? Ie, wait for retirement?

What are we really striving for? Yes there are basic needs we have in life – food, water, warmth, shelter, a place of safety, love and connection. Yes, sometimes we have to do a job we don’t like to get the funds to pay for this and I’m all for making ends meet. What I am pondering is what do you do with the time that you have left over from ensuring your basic level of comfort and those that are dependent on you.

This is not about having lofty goals or ideas. Maybe it’s just to love and feel loved. To enjoy the simple pleasures in life.