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Fishing Now
by Jan Sand
2007-02-18 09:53:15 |
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There is an old story about a well-to-do executive who was extremely successful. He had attained his position and his very adequate income by thinking very hard and working very hard and being very lucky. He headed a medium-sized but growing corporation and he put in at least twelve to fourteen hours a day at his job, which strained his health but was financially very rewarding.
He put in so much time at work that finally his doctor demanded that he take a couple of weeks off to avoid a physical breakdown. He ignored his doctor for a while but when he collapsed in front of his computer at work he finally had to listen.
“Look,” the doctor said, “I have a friend who lives in a small town near a lake. He has a spare room in his house and I can arrange for you to spend a little time with him. It would do you a world of good and you can come back to your routine in much better shape.”
The executive was frightened and quickly agreed to the doctor’s plan. He travelled to the small town and was quickly set up in the small house where the doctor’s friend, an Indian, lived with his wife and child near the lake. The furnishings were simple but adequate and the natural surroundings were magnificent.
After a nap and a quick lunch the executive and the Indian set out for the lake where the two soon had set up their fishing equipment at the shore and threw out their lines.
The Indian was silent at first but the man was curious and they started chatting about their lives.
“Do you spend all your time here on the lake?” The executive asked.
“A couple of days during the week I operate a general store in town for a few hours. The people around here don’t need much and it brings in enough cash for things I can’t make myself or get locally.”
“Don’t you get bored with this life after a while? Wouldn’t you like to get away to the active world where interesting things are happening?”
The Indian made a strange noise with his mouth and a nearby bluejay chattered in response and shifted back and forth on a branch in excitement. “There’s a TV in the house and I find things right here quite interesting enough. Most of the programming is pure crap anyway – all about people wanting things they don’t really need and a good deal of very nasty activity.”
“Perhaps if you had gone through the education system and seen the possibilities –“, the executive countered, but he was quickly cut off.
The Indian gave him a cool look. “ I have a Master’s Degree in Business Administration,“ he answered, “and enough technical training to take care of almost anything. What I don’t know I can quickly discover with my computer.”
The executive was impressed. “Then, what in hell are you doing here? Man! There’s a world out there!”
“I’ve seen the world,” the Indian spoke with a sigh. “ I found it depressing.”
The executive mind started grinding again. “ I could use a man like you in my business. I pay a pretty decent wage –.”
“What would I do with your decent wage?”
“You could get yourself a much bigger house, a good car, even a good sized boat if you wanted. You could have a life!”
“And what would you want in exchange?”
“Just your time. And your capability.”
“How much time?”
“If it works out, and by a look at your character and training I’m confident it would, in about twenty years or so, make you well enough off to retire.”
“And then, what would I do?” the Indian asked.
“Anything you desired. You could even spend your time here fishing.”
The Indian leaned back and swung his pole in a long smooth arc that threw his hook a good ways down the shore where it precisely landed in a quiet pool where he knew a school of fish liked to gather.
“I’m fishing now.” He said.
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