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?