Gone Fishing

One day, a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, but he wasn't fishing. He had put away his net, and was enjoying the beautiful sunset and the crashing surf, when a man came walking towards him. The man noticed the fisherman just lying there, and decided to find out why he wasn't working harder.

"You're not going to catch many fish that way," said the man, "You should be working harder, rather than just sleeping on the beach!"

The fisherman looked up, and replied, "Then what?"

"Well, you could get bigger nets and catch more fish!" was the man's answer.

"And then what?" asked the fisherman.

"You will make more money and you'll be able to buy a boat, which will result in larger catches of fish!"

"And then what?" asked the fisherman again.

The man was starting to get a little annoyed with the fisherman's questions. "You could buy a bigger boat, and hire some people to work for you!" he said.

"And then what?"

Now the man was really getting angry. "Don't you understand? You could build up a fleet of fishing boats and let your employees catch fish for you. You could become so rich that you would never have to work again. You could spend your days sitting on the beach, without a care in the world!"

The fisherman looked up and asked, "What am I doing now?"

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Our story touches on moderation and balance in our lives, two very important themes.

The fisherman in our story is just enjoying what he can. He works hard on most days, he makes money for himself and his family, but quite often he stops and enjoys the moment. Sure, he could work harder, everyone could work harder, but then how much more work is enough?

A small net becomes a larger net. One net becomes ten nets. A small boat becomes a larger boat. A larger boat becomes a fleet. Where does it end?

In the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu says, "He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough."

Our fisherman has found his center. He works hard, but he also takes moments for himself. He doesn't constantly push for more, just because more is possible. He enjoys the moment when he is fishing. He enjoys the moment when he watches a sunset. He even enjoys the questions from a stranger on the beach. Moderation and balance have become companions in his life.

Our fisherman lives in the center.

Enjoy the ride. 

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