Reaping Rewards

One evening 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 sea. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of landing a catch.

Soon, a businessman came walking down the beach, trying to find relief for the stress that had built up throughout his workday. He noticed the fisherman and decided to find out why the guy 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," he said. "You should be working rather than lying on the beach!"

The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and said, "And what will me reward be?"

"Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!"

"And then, what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman again, still smiling.

"You will make money and be able to buy a boat, which will then result in your catching even more fish."

"And what will my reward be?"

The businessman was beginning to get irritated at the fisherman's questions. "You can buy bigger boat, and hire some people to work for you!"

"And then, what will my reward be?" the fisherman repeated.

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 your employees fish for you!"

Once again the fisherman asked, "And what will my reward be?"

The businessman was red with rage and began shouting at him.

"Don't you see? 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 looked up, beamed at him, and said: "And what do you think I'm doing right now?"

Taken from Starmag