How to Balance Meaning and Money

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A businessman is sitting on the beach of a small fishing village when he sees a fisherman approach the shore with his daily haul. Impressed by the quality of the fish, the businessman asks the fisherman how long it took him to bring in his catch.

“Just a short while,” the fisherman replies.

“Why don’t you stay out longer to catch more fish?” the businessman asks.

“Because this is all I need.”

“But then what do you do with your time?”

“I sleep late, catch a few fish, play with my kids, take a nap with my wife, and then join my buddies in town to drink wine and play guitar,” the fisherman responds.

The businessman is shocked. He explains that he has an MBA, and that if the fisherman follows his advice, he could help him grow his business. “You could buy a bigger boat,” the businessman says, “and use the proceeds to open your own cannery.”

“Then what?” the fisherman asks.

“You could move to the city to open a distribution center.”

“And then what?”

“You could expand your business internationally and eventually take your company public,” the businessman says. “When the time is right, you could sell your shares and become very rich.”

“And then what?”

“Well, then you can retire, move to a small fishing village, sleep late, catch a few fish, play with your kids, take naps with your wife, and join your buddies in town to drink wine and play guitar.”

The fisherman smiles at the businessman and continues down the beach.

I love this little parable. It’s an adaptation of a German short story from 1963 and has since been translated and shared widely.

I first came across it in a Facebook post. It wasn’t just the story, but the first comment that has stuck with me since. Under the post, someone wrote, “There’s nothing noble about a life of mere sustenance. His life of idyll is great until he gets sick, there’s an algae bloom that kills the fish, or his boat throws a rod. He needs the extra investment capital to weather the unknown.”

I was tempted to roll my eyes. I knew that type of reply guy. He’s the one who raises his hand in English class because he “disagrees with the premise of the question.”