Choose Your Own Adventure

On our best days, most of us can acknowledge that there are many ways to live out our lives and be fulfilled- we don't all have to be the same. We give lip service to the importance of doing what makes us happy. But in reality, in this country at least, we receieve mixed messages that often seem to negate quite a bit of that freedom to find our own path, diversity of experience and inner worth talk.

I have seen the following wisdom tale used to illustrate many morals. I am curious as to what you, my reader, makes of it. I have copied a generic version of the story below. After it, I have listed various possible interpretations of the story. I would love to know what YOU think the moral of the story is. You can either choose one of the morals listed below the story or you can tell me your own. Even if you choose not to respond, I hope the story gives you some food for thought today........and may it be a grand one!

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There once was a business man on vacation in a small coastal village when a boat with one fisherman in it pulled up to the dock. Inside the small boat were several large beautiful tuna. The business man complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The fisherman replied, "Not very long."
The business man then asked why the fisherman didn't stay out longer and catch more?
The fisherman said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.

 "But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The fisherman smiled and said, "I sleep late, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life."

The business man scoffed, "I have an MBA and I can help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several more boats and eventually have a whole 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 need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to a really big city to run your expanding enterprise."

The fisherman asked, "How long will this all take?"
To which the business man replied, "15 - 20 years."
"But what then?" asked the fisherman.
The business man 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, huh - then what?"

The business man said, "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 could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

did you think I forgot? ;-)

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What do YOU think the moral of this story is ?

1.   The way you spend your life should be determined by your personality and what you value.

2.   Consumerism, and/or higher education for the sake of status, fosters greed.

3.   Sometimes we lose many precious years trying to obtain something we already have.

4.   This story should be called: "In praise of idleness."

5.   Know what you want out of life- what will bring you true happiness- so you'll know when you have it.

6.   (Insert your own words here)