rat race irony

recently, i was awakened by my tv and i found myself watching a remarkable scene. it showed a young affluent american executive type perhaps on vacation on a remote beach somewhere in Mexico, talking to an older Mexican fisherman.

"is that all the fish you caught?" he inquired.

"it's all i need" replied the old man with a smile.

"why don't you catch a lot more, then sell the ones you don't need? then you can save the extra money you make to buy yourself a bigger boat so you can catch a lot more fish," the american observed.

the Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. the American asked, "but what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"i sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. in the evenings, i go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs...i have a full life."

the American interrupted, "listen to me--i have an MBA from Harvard and i can help you! by fishing longer, you can catch more fish. with the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. with the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. then, instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. why, you can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! from there you can direct your huge enterprise."

"really? and how long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"and after that?"

"afterwards? that's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "when your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"i guess after i make my millions, i can then retire to a tiny village near the coast..." the old man smiled.

the american realizing the irony, continued laughing, "sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife, and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."