The Fisherman and the Businessman

I like this story:

Once upon a time, not too long ago, a rich business man decided he had had enough of a particular stressful situation and took a trip to South America to enjoy the beaches. On the first day of his trip he got a call at four in the morning regarding some overseas business that was going badly. Stressed and unable to get back to sleep he decided to take a walk along the beach at dawn.

As he walked a long the beach, he happened to chance a fisherman coming back with his catch in the early hours. He walked up to the boat and saw many beautiful, large fish. He praised the fisherman for his skill and asked him how long he had been doing this. The fisherman said that he had been fishing for a long time, ever since he was a child and could follow his father out to sea.

The businessman asked what the fisherman did in his normal day. In the early mornings, the fisherman would go out to sea to fish. He would then come back and sell his catch to the lorry men to bring to the market that morning. He would then spend the afternoon napping, fixing his nets and equipment and play with his children. In the evenings, he liked to go to a small get together, sip wine and play the guitar.

The businessman asked whether with his profits the fisherman had ever wondered if he wanted to expand his business? The fisherman said, "No, what would I do to expand my business?

The businessman the drew himself up and said, "Why, you could be a very rich man. First you'd hire a few more of your friends to fish for you. Then you'd buy larger boats and fish even more fish."

The fisherman said that would be nice, but then what?

"Then," the businessman continued, "you'd start up a company and export your goods, you'd own the transport and packaging business to send your fish to markets and supermarkets all over and invest in properties and stocks."

The fisherman said and then what would I do?

"Then?" the businessman exclaimed, "Well then you'd sell the shares of the company and eventually sell the whole thing off. It'll be millions of dollars."

And then?

"And then you could nap in the afternoon, mend your nets and equipment, play with your children, sip wine and play the guitar with your friends."

An interesting juxtaposition

Often, we know that there are wrong things going on in our world. From our small office politics to mass hunger and genocide in some other god forsaken land. Most of the time, we don't know what to do about it. Most of us are not cruel people, but the effort to make a difference is a large and taxing one (whether it is to let go of office politics or help solve world hunger). So, we have no choice then but to accept it.

And we return to the system that we live in. This is where I think we can make a difference. Firstly we need to recognise that we do live in a broken and hurtful system. What is this system? It is simply our economic system. And our economic system doesn't work just upon money - it works upon the potential that money promises - it works upon power and the need for it. We are all working to increase our power within society - for whatever our purposes are.

Our power/economical system then, by its definition draws up a kind of ladder of life. It polarises wealth and power exponentially into its top percentage. We work most of our lives trying to climb the ladder. The system also is hurtful because it ignores many other aspects of our lives - emotional/spiritual/relationships/moral etc.

Consider the system you live in and contribute to. What are its foci and what does it ask you to aspire to? Does it ignore or reduce the importance of any aspects of your life?



Here is an amusing excersice to try. I did this with a group of young adults as we started our discussion group (I was a participant not a coordinator). We were directed to first list a few things that were wrong with the world today.

There were many things listed as what was wrong with the world. Selfishness, greed, anxiety for material stability, sickness, the rich and poor divide etc.

Then we put up on board just below it what the idea of a great person was. A great person (someone we might be jealous of or aspire to be) was often - male, rich, influential, good looking, charismatic, powerful, intelligent, rational, etc. This great person though, is often a great person of the system.

We realized then, a great person did not actually alleviate or concern themselves with what was wrong with the world. Of course, there were and are great individuals who have done otherwise - Mother Theresa for example. But our general idea of the great person was not helping the planet. In many cases they support and contribute to the current system.

Many people strive for what the 'great' people have. Once again that is power. That is what the system promises.

Power to be free of life's constant worries. Power to divulge into any craving you might have. Power to choose as you wish without concerning yourself with others - or at least choose how much you want to concern yourself with it.

It then behooves us to contemplate the nature of power. So my question today is this:

What is the nature of power? Is it something we should be striving for? How much power do we need? How much money do you need? Does it help the world at all? Does it perpetuate the system, and thus increase what is wrong with the world? Does having a lot of power in your life make it a better life? Does it build trust, love, friendships, life? Does not by definition power mean some of us are weaker?

As I start...

I am sitting at my computer with a little bit of a cough.Because I didn't want to infect all my patients with whatever germ it is I've picked up, I didn't go to work today.

Since I'm stuck here at home, I thought I would make a start on this project. Let me start by saying this. I have very few answers but many many questions. But these questions I would like more and more and more people to start asking too. I do not care who you are or where you are. You should be asking these questions. Whether you have to pay the bills, feed the baby, go shopping, train in the army, build your business empire, go shopping with your friends, get drunk or whatever it is you are about to do - I want you to stop and listen. Even if for just a moment to ask yourself these questions. Let me begin.


Over the last few weeks I have been having discussions with many people from many walks of life. I would like to start with a simple question.

Is there something wrong with the world today?

Looking at it from a global point of view, the answer is a resounding YES. We have wars, poverty, hunger, destruction of the environment, child labor and prostitution, obesity, depression, astounding rates of divorce, violence in homes - the list is endless. Most of these problems are ones we have created ourselves. Some of these problems, could be completely solved tomorrow. Yes, you heard me. Tomorrow.

Isn't that curious. We have the ability to stop a problem - but we don't. What is wrong with us?

If I twisted the question slightly; is there something wrong with you(us) today? Some of us would say yes and others no. Some of us are perfectly happy individuals, who by and large do not break any laws, do not go out of our way to make people suffer, love and care for our family and friends and lead healthy productive lives. How is it, if that individually we are doing okay, that the earth is then in this condition?

Could it be we are all equally responsible for the way the world is? Is it possible that leading our law abiding lives is simply not good enough? Just maybe, are the lives we are living wrong?

Nothing is disconnected from the other. Today, decisions made in any place has ripple effects through the whole planet. The structures that support our lifestyle. The work we have to do that support these structures, perpetuate the condition of our planet. And we are all part of that economy. All of our actions and all of our lifestyles sum up to the world and what it is today. Every. Single. One.


I would like to put forward these two questions to you.

Is there something wrong with the world?
Is there something wrong with us, individually?


Please feel free to comment. Argue. Put something controversial. Put something meaningful. Put something trivial. As long as you have stopped to consider the question that is what is important. Also, go out there and discuss! Blog about this on your own blog. Tweet about it. Put it on your Facebook walls. Discuss it with your friends, your family, your colleagues, your teachers.

We as a humanity have reached a point where it is high time we stopped and listened. All of us.