The Parable of The Fisherman And
The Banker
A Banker was taking a much-needed vacation in a
small coastal village when a small boat with just one
fisherman docked. The boat had several large, fresh fish in it.
The Banker was
impressed by the quality of the fish and asked the Fisherman how long
it took to catch them. The Fisherman replied, “Only a little while.”
The Banker then asked why he didn't stay out longer and
catch more fish?
The Fisherman replied
he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs and to share with
another. The Businessman then asked “But what do you do with the rest
of your time?”
The Fisherman replied,
“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, spend time with
my wife, serve people who are needy, stroll into the village each evening
where I sip wine and play guitar with my friends: I have a full and busy
life, sir.”
The
Banker scoffed, “I am an Ivy League MBA, and I could help you. You could
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 until eventually you
would have a whole fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to the
middleman you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own
cannery. You could control the product, processing and distribution.”
Then
he added, “Of course, you would need to leave this small coastal fishing
village and move to The City where you would run your growing
enterprise.”
The Fisherman
asked, “But sir, how long will this all take?”
To
which the Businessman replied, “15-20 years.”
“But
what then,” asked the Fisherman?
The Businessman 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 could make millions!”
“Millions, sir? Then what?”
To
which the Banker replied, “Then you would retire. You could move to a
small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play
with your kids, spend time with your wife, serve people who are
needy, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and
play your guitar with your friends.”
I love this simple parable. It brings
clarity to what life is all about… and definitely not about. It
brilliantly illustrates the illusions we so easily fall into when
pursuing wealth and the riches of the world. It is far too easy to build
incessantly and forget that the purpose of life is about our
relationships and service to others. It is equally easy to
forget about all the goodness we are surrounded by today. The truth
is it doesn't take a lot of money to have a truly wealthy life, but
it does take freedom. Remember, we are freed from the burdens and expectations
of this world through the life, death and resurrection of Christ.
* What
do we really need to be happy and fulfilled?
* What
is the price you are willing to pay for simplicity? Complexity?
* If
you died tomorrow what unfulfilled dreams would you regret having never lived?
* What
is keeping you from living those dreams today?
Be
a blessing, as you have been blessed -
Rev.
Pat
