09.02.07
Circle of Freedom
Recently, a story told by a friend of mine from old IBM days keeps on popping up in my head. It is a profound story and I really enjoyed it at that time when he told me about 10 years ago.
Here is the story:
A business man is looking for a boat to go cross a river, but it is a lunch time and no carrier is operating. He looks around and finally finds a fisherman with a small boat laying there sleeping.
He approaches the fisherman, wakes him up and says: “Can you take me to the other side of this river? I will give you a lot of money.”
The fisherman says: “But I am sleeping! Why do I need more money?”
The business man replies: “If you have more money, you can buy a bigger boat.”
The fisherman says: “So what if I have a bigger boat?”
The business man replies: “If you have a bigger boat, you can capture more fishes and buy a fleet of boats”.
The fisherman says: “So what if I have a fleet of boats?”
The business man replies: “If you have a fleet of boats, you can have a lot of money and then hire professional managers to manage them for you.
The fisherman says: “So what if I have a lot of money and professional managers?”
The business man replies: “Then, you truly have your freedom! You don’t have to do anything and sleep anytime you like!”
The fisherman says: “Well, that’s exactly what I have before you wake me up!”
Hmmm… Who has more freedom, the fisherman or the business man?
garageguru said,
September 2, 2007 at 5:53 am
That one was interesting. Coincidentally, in a discussion earlier today I was telling my friends how desire is the forerunner of all worries (kinda what Buddha quoted). That also reminds me of Randy Komisar’s Whole life Plan versus the deferred life plan. Wonder what the moral is. I guess deriving happiness from doing what one likes doing just translates into freedom from the mundane rigmaroles of life.
Thomas Lord said,
November 15, 2007 at 4:35 am
“Who has more freedom, the fisherman or the business man?”
How do the benefits, particularly retirement and health care, compare?
-t
Ray Wu said,
November 16, 2007 at 8:00 am
Thomas:
Good one, I think the moral of the story is more about mind freedom. A person comes into this world with nothing and leaves with nothing. Yet, everyone is so focused on accumulation and security in life. I believe one needs to take responsibility for the family and make a living, it is the degree of “desire” or “greed” that can change the overall prioritization and balance in life
/Ray