And Then What Will My Reward Be?
One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole
propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out into the sparkling
blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect
of catching a fish.
About that time, an investment banker came walking down the beach,
trying to relieve some of the stress of her workday. She noticed the fisherman
sitting on the beach and decided to find out why this fisherman was fishing
instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family.
"You aren't going to catch many fish that way," said the investment
banker to the fisherman. "You should be working rather than lying
on the beach"
The fisherman looked up at the investment banker, smiled and replied,
"And what will my reward be?"
"Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish" was the banker's
answer.
"And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman, still smiling.
The investment banker replied, "You will make money and you'll be able
to buy a boat, which will then result in larger catches of fish"
"And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman again.
The investment banker was beginning to get a little irritated with
the fisherman's questions. "You can buy a bigger boat, and hire some people
to work for you" she said.
"And then what will my reward be?" repeated the fisherman.
The investment banker was getting angry. "Don't you understand? You
can build up a fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let
all your employees catch fish for you"
Once again the fisherman asked, "And then what will my reward be?"
The investment banker was red with rage and shouted at the fisherman,
"Don't you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have
to work for your living again. You can spend all the rest of your
days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won't have
a care in the world."
The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "And what do you
think I'm doing right now?"