Everyone heard of the story the businessman and the fisherman. The morale of that story is that contentment is true wealth and as long as you know where you want to be, it is good enough.
Edit on February 2025: Due to image formatting issues and change in writing style, I have removed images that were used in this article. This will allow for a more professional presentation of the website. As the information here pertains to periods that are many years ago, please refer to the latest post for this category for the most updated information.
Edit on March 2025: Formatting updates.
I am however, someone who have never agreed with that story. Black swan events will eventually knock you out. It may not happen today, or tomorrow, but it will happen.
Taking a look at Malaysia, to not fault of their own there is a sudden drop in fishes found in the waters. If you were the fisherman who had been contented in the present without planning for the future, what will you do now that your livelihood has suddenly become more difficult? In this capitalist world, do you have the necessary savings to tide over bad times? Perhaps if you had taken the businessman’s advice and built up your wealth, you can still enjoy the sunset in times of crisis.
Its the same as the common story people always say where its important for people to enjoy their life when they are younger. It goes as follows:
- When you are young, you have time and energy but no money
- When you are an adult, you have money and energy but no time
- When you are old, you have time and money but no energy
As such, people always conclude saying that you should always explore as much as possible when you are younger because money can always be earned back but you cannot regain your energy like when you were young.
In my opinion, it is not a bad advise seeing how as we get older, we get tired more easily. However, how sure are you can indeed always earn money back when you are older? I am certain that more than a few of us know of people who have made a financial mess of their lives and had to clean it up even as they near retirement age.
I am not saying we should save 100% of our money of course. It is important to live in the moments once in awhile and enjoy the things as long as it is reasonably within our means. I simply disagree with spending so much till you are living on paycheck to paycheck.
I acknowledge that saving money really is a privilege. There are people who can’t save, mostly due to issues with the capitalist system, causing individuals to fall behind. However also because saving money is a privilege, we should do so when we have the opportunity to do so. Instead of lamenting when the day comes and our privilege is taken away.
Conclusion
Hoarding money is bad for the economy, but no one is going to bail you out if you lose money trying to “support” it.
I would like to end my post reminding people it is important to build up a strong safety net for yourselves when you are younger. No one knows what the future has in store for us, and it is always better to be well prepared for it.
Story of the Businessman and the Fisherman
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, a businessman came walking down the beach, trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He 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 businessman to the fisherman.
“You should be working rather than lying on the beach!”
The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, “And what will my reward be?”
“Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!” was the businessman’s answer. “And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman, still smiling. The businessman 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 businessman 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!” he said.
“And then what will my reward be?” repeated the fisherman.
The businessman 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 businessman 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?”
Website: The businessman and the fisherman
