One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole
propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out into the sparkling
blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the hope
of catching a fish.
About that time, a businessman came walking down the
beach trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He noticed
the fisherman sitting on the beach and decided to find out why this
fisherman was fishing instead of working hard to make a living for himself and
his family.
"You're not going to catch many fish that way," said the
businessman, "You should be working harder rather than lying on the
beach!"
The fisherman looked up, smiled and replied, "And what will my reward be?"
"Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!" was the
businessman's answer.
"And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman, still smiling.
The businessman replied, "You will make money
and you'll be able to buy a boat, which will then result in larger
catches of fish!"
"And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman again.
The businessman was beginning to get a little irritated with the
fisherman's questions. "You can buy a bigger boat, and hire some
people to work for you!" he said.
"And then what will my reward be?"
The businessman was getting angry. "Don't you understand? You can build up a
fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let your employees
catch fish for you!"
Once again the fisherman asked, "And then what will
my reward be?"
The businessman was red with rage and shouted at the
fisherman, "Don't you understand that you can become so rich that you
will never have to work for your living again! You can spend all the rest
of your days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won't have
a care in the world!"
The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "And what do you
think I'm doing right now?"
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