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?"
