DOES BEING RICH NECESSARILY MEAN BEING HAPPY?
There was once a businessman who was sitting by the beach in a small fishing village.
As he sat, he saw a fisherman rowing a small boat towards the shore having caught quite few big fish.
The businessman, impressed, asked the fisherman, “How long does it take you to catch so many fish?”
The fisherman replied, “Oh, just a short while.”
“Then why don’t you stay longer at sea and catch even more?” The businessman was puzzled.
“This is enough to feed my whole family,” the fisherman said.
The businessman then asked, “So, what do you do for the rest of the day?”
The fisherman replied, “Well, I usually wake up early in the morning, go out to sea and catch a few fish, then go back and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap. When evening comes, I join my friends in the village to play guitar, sing and dance throughout the night.”
As he sat, he saw a fisherman rowing a small boat towards the shore having caught quite few big fish.
The businessman, impressed, asked the fisherman, “How long does it take you to catch so many fish?”
The fisherman replied, “Oh, just a short while.”
“Then why don’t you stay longer at sea and catch even more?” The businessman was puzzled.
“This is enough to feed my whole family,” the fisherman said.
The businessman then asked, “So, what do you do for the rest of the day?”
The fisherman replied, “Well, I usually wake up early in the morning, go out to sea and catch a few fish, then go back and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap. When evening comes, I join my friends in the village to play guitar, sing and dance throughout the night.”
The businessman offered a suggestion to the fisherman.
“I could help you to become a more successful person. From now on, you could spend more time at sea and try to catch as many fish as possible and sell the remaining your family does not eat. When you have saved enough money, you could buy a bigger boat and catch even more fish. Soon, you will be able to set up your own company, your own production plant for canned food and distribution network. By then, you will have moved out of this village and to the city, where you can set up a headquarter to manage your other branches.”
“I could help you to become a more successful person. From now on, you could spend more time at sea and try to catch as many fish as possible and sell the remaining your family does not eat. When you have saved enough money, you could buy a bigger boat and catch even more fish. Soon, you will be able to set up your own company, your own production plant for canned food and distribution network. By then, you will have moved out of this village and to the city, where you can set up a headquarter to manage your other branches.”
The fisherman continues, “And after that?”
The businessman laughs heartily, “After that, you can live like a king in your own house. You'll will be rich!”
The fisherman asks, “And after that?”
The businessman says, “After that, you can finally retire. You can move to a house by the fishing village, wake up early in the morning, catch a few fish, then return home to play with kids, have a nice afternoon nap, and when evening comes, you can join your friends to play the guitar, sing and dance throughout the night!”
The fisherman was puzzled, “Isn’t that what I am doing now?”
The businessman laughs heartily, “After that, you can live like a king in your own house. You'll will be rich!”
The fisherman asks, “And after that?”
The businessman says, “After that, you can finally retire. You can move to a house by the fishing village, wake up early in the morning, catch a few fish, then return home to play with kids, have a nice afternoon nap, and when evening comes, you can join your friends to play the guitar, sing and dance throughout the night!”
The fisherman was puzzled, “Isn’t that what I am doing now?”
This is a classic tale from brazil that can help to explain perfectly that being rich does not necessarily mean being happy. Although this folk tale does not show a big contrast in happiness level, we can tell that the end result of both scenarios are the same regardless of whether the fisherman decides to extend the business or continue to fish enough for his family.
Money is just a currency that people use as a more advanced or organized way of bartering. However, many people think that the amount of money you have is the determination of how happy you are. I dont think this is true as statistic shows Indonesia has happier people than Singapore although we are the country with better economical strength. I think that we should focus on being happy rather than to get richer. Loosen those muscles and smile! :)
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