The Old Man and the Sea

I remember hearing this story a long while ago. The substance is not mine, as it was already formulated. But here it is in a retelling:

There was this big business man from Wall street that took a little vacation to a nice seaside resort somewhere in ol' Mexico.

Now as he was enjoying his time off at the beach, he decided to walk along the beach-front, and soon he came to a small village, not far away. And he was curious as to what fuss was about.

So he got nearer and he saw several men get into little boats and go out to sea.

He found a hammock nearby the villagers offered him to rest in, and, enjoying the sounds of the ocean, and the soft breeze coming in off it, he took off his sandals, and laid down, smiling to himself, as he enjoyed life far away from the city life, and all the hustle and bustle of city life, the ruthless office politics, and merciless takeovers he was accustomed too, amid, pills to relieve anxiety, and heartburn.

Finally he was lulled to sleep, and after a few nightmares on Wall street he woke up to see the men coming back to shore with fish in their nets.

He got up and approached one who spoke English.

"Say, that's a good catch," he said pointing to the fish the native was taking back. "And it didn't take you that long to catch it either."

"The nets were their all night, senor," was the reply. "I was merely picking up the catch of the night.

"So now what are you going to do?" was the reply.

"Well, sir, I have the food I need for the day, for my family and myself. I think I will go home, get it prepared, eat, then take a siesta. Then at the end of the day go to the town plaza, enjoy some music and drink, and dance."

"No, no, no..." said the Wall street big-wig. "You're doing this all wrong. Look, I've got much more experience than you how old are you? You look not a day over 30."

"Perhaps you are right senor."

"Look, I'm almost into my 60's, so listen to me. I've got experience on my side. What you need to do is spend the entire day fishing. And then you will have a better catch. And then you can start to sell the fish for a profit, and not just have enough to eat."

"And then what senor?"

"Well, that's easy, you get enough money for a couple of boats, and then you hire employees to help you fish. And you keep on working, until you build up a fleet. And soon you go public and make a ton of money on the stock exchange."

"And how long will this take, senor?"

"Oh, I don't know, if you're fortunate a few years, but with hard work, a few decades. That is what sweat and tears will do."

"And then what?"

"Well, that's easy, you sell your company, make a killing, and with the profits you retire to a small sea-side village, where you can take siestas in the afternoon, and go dancing and singing at night with your friends."

a reply to: JackReyes LOL! good one!

In this world, i can't tell if that's funny or sad.

The original's a true classic, no doubt though. Here's an unbelievably great animated short film, enjoy...

originally posted by: rexsblues
In this world, i can't tell if that's funny or sad.

The original's a true classic, no doubt though. Here's an unbelievably great animated short film, enjoy...

I guess, just like your avatar. Thanks for the video link.

The retired fisherman laughs at the tired stock broker.

I guess some people would rather rule in hell than serve in heaven.

But I'm not sure I buy the moral of this story:

"Well, that's easy, you sell your company, make a killing, and with the profits you retire to a small sea-side village, where you can take siestas in the afternoon, and go dancing and singing at night with your friends."

I mean, to be fair there is a lot more you can do with money than just that. How about feeding the poor? Or providing healthcare for your children? Fishing is all good, but it's nice to have some resources at your disposal for a rainy day.

a reply to: JackReyes

Well two points


1. When you finally get to enjoy your hard earned money you are older and tired and nothing is as fun.

2. When you enjoy the simple day to day WITHOUT money, you are in danger of being hungry and needy with the slightest health problem or any disaster so most people worry.

That fisherman`s got it right, if you have a roof over your head,food and drink, and living at the beach what more do you need?
I guess the real question is, do you work to live or live to work?
I`m one of those people who believes that money doesn`t make you rich,and it doesn`t buy happiness.