A
boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist, Tony,
complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked
how long it took him to catch them. 'Not very long,' answered Gener,
the fisherman.
'Then
why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?' asked Tony. Gener
explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and
those of his family.
Tony inquired, 'But what do you do with the rest of your time?' 
'I
sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta
with my wife. In the evenings I go into the village to see my friends,
dance a little, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full
life.'
Tony
interrupted rather rudely, 'I have a Business Studies degree and I can
help you. You should start by fishing longer every day. You can sell
the extra fish you catch. With the revenue, you can buy a bigger boat,
catch even more fish. With the extra money you will soon be able to buy
a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet
of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can
negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your
own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Cancun,
Acapulco, Los Angeles, or even New York City. From there you can direct
your huge enterprise.'
'How
long would that take?' wondered Gener, the Mexican fisherman.
'Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,' replied Tony condescendingly. 'And
after that?' Gener asked.
'After
that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the sea,
sleep late, fish a little, play with your grandchildren, take a siesta
with your wife, and spend your evenings in the village, dancing,
playing the guitar, and singing with your friends.'
Would 'Food For Thought' be an apt title for this story?
Next: 21st Feb 2012 An Irresistible Ad.
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