Mexican fisherman | Imamother

Motek

Thu, Oct 05 2006, 8:48 pm

The author of this is unknown. I think it was posted in the Humor thread but I think it's more thought-provoking than funny:

An American tourist was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.

Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The tourist complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."

The tourist then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"

The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."

The tourist then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

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

The tourist scoffed, " 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 boats. Eventually you would have a 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 could leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you could run your ever-expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"

The tourist replied, "15 to 20 years."

"But what then?" asked the Mexican.

The tourist 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?...Then what?"

The American 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 siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

*****
How about a translation for our lives - do parents who work slave in order to provide a good life for their kids end up sabotaging that very goal?

Other applications?

amother

Thu, Oct 05 2006, 9:01 pm

I think most of us are slaving for tuition, not for a lot of fancy extras. B'H, we have a good parnassah, but we pay out almost $4000 a month for tuition / day care (the day care is necessary b/c we couldn't pay the portion that's just for tuition if I didn't work). This is after taxes. My husband drives a 15 year old car. We don't spend lavishly on anything. We've taken exactly three vacations in 16 years of marriage (two of which were driving to NYC - not going off to Switzerland or the like). We have thanked HKB"H for every precious neshama He's entrusted to us, but it is a fact that a large family takes money - shoes, dentist, clothes, books, school supplies, and even just keeping everyone fed.

Motek

Thu, Oct 05 2006, 10:15 pm

I understand what you're saying. It has been discussed extensively in other threads.

Nothwithstanding the truth of what you said, there ARE parents who "red zich ayn" (convince themselves) that they're working for their children when the children would rather have their PARENTS, their parents' attention and time.

The stories of absentee workaholic fathers and husbands who are working to provide for their children and wives but neglect them, for years, in the process.