The Fisherman

I just found, for the first time, a good english translation  of one of my favorite stories from Germany. For everyone who is wondering why Peter and I choose to windsurf so much, this explains it very well.

"An investor was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The investor complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The fisherman replied, “Only a little while.”

The investor then asked him why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish.
The fisherman replied, “I have enough to support my family.”

What do you do with the rest of your time?
I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I drink great beer, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.

The investor scoffed, You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy several boats; eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would then move to the big city, and eventually New York City, to run your expanding enterprise.
But, how long will this all take?

Only 15 to 20 years.
Then what?

The investor laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich; you would make millions!”
Millions – then what?

Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you would drink great beer and play your guitar with your amigos."

Originally Written as Anekdote zur Senkung der Arbeitsmoral

Peter and I sailing at BIB, Texas