Story of life from happy Italian fisherman

[GON]

Likely a fictional story- but a though provoking read:

A boat was docked in a tiny Calabrian fishing village.
A tourist complimented the local fishermen on the quality of their fish and... asked how long it took to catch them.
"Not very long" they answered in unison.
"Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?"
The fishermen explained that their small catches were sufficient to meet their needs and those of their families.
"But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
"We chat in the piazza with friends, fish a little, play with our children, and enjoy time with our wives. In the evenings, we go into the village to see our friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs.
We have a full life."
The tourist interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."
"And after that?"
"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.
Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Milan, London, Los Angeles, or even New York City!!! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."
"How long would that take?"
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years." replied the tourist.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting," answered the tourist, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the fishermen.
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, play with your children, catch a few fish, enjoy time with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."
"With all due respect sir, but that's exactly what we are doing now. So what's the point wasting twenty-five years?" asked the Italians.
And the moral of this story is:
Know where you're going in life, you may already be there! Many times in life, money is not everything.
“Live your life before life becomes lifeless”

 

[97K15004WD]

Life is a little easier when you have decided where you are going.

Two old quotes:
"make your plans in the sand; set your goals in concrete"
"those without plans work for those with plans".

Helps me maintain focus when days get goofy. Sounds like the moral of the story above!!

 

[nickaluch]

Made my morning

 

[Pablo]

My dad's side is from Calabria. He is a very patient fisherman. I wish I had a quarter of that!

 

[GON]

My dad's side is from Calabria. He is a very patient fisherman. I wish I had a quarter of that!

Some of us that frequent the food section on BITOG just wish you would learn to use a camera on your smartphone- for all the great dishes you make- but don't share a picture of. Now we know where you might have learned about your passion/ inspiration for food.

Here is an AWESOME video about food and related culture in Calabria:

 

[Snagglefoot]

Thanks. I recall a similar story of an islander lying in a hammock with a fishing line tied to his toe. In the end the purpose of all the work was “ so you can lie in a hammock with a fishing lie tied to your toe. “

While growing up in a small town, my neighbour had a fairly low paying job organizing trucking for a local business. Many days during the summers he drove 15 miles to the local lake, fished until evening, then cleaned fish and went to bed. He came home everyday to each lunch and several days a week his wife fried fish for lunch. A simple happy life.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Likely a fictional story- but a though provoking read:

A boat was docked in a tiny Calabrian fishing village.
A tourist complimented the local fishermen on the quality of their fish and... asked how long it took to catch them.
"Not very long" they answered in unison.
"Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?"
The fishermen explained that their small catches were sufficient to meet their needs and those of their families.
"But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
"We chat in the piazza with friends, fish a little, play with our children, and enjoy time with our wives. In the evenings, we go into the village to see our friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs.
We have a full life."
The tourist interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."
"And after that?"
"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.
Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Milan, London, Los Angeles, or even New York City!!! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."
"How long would that take?"
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years." replied the tourist.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting," answered the tourist, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the fishermen.
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, play with your children, catch a few fish, enjoy time with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."
"With all due respect sir, but that's exactly what we are doing now. So what's the point wasting twenty-five years?" asked the Italians.
And the moral of this story is:
Know where you're going in life, you may already be there! Many times in life, money is not everything.
“Live your life before life becomes lifeless”



View attachment 124967

I like that. No connection but it made me think of how much I enjoyed the first time reading The Old Man and the Sea.
I read the book & some years later saw the movie with Spencer Tracy. I often like to read a book and see the movie
version because there is always more to the story you find out from one or the other.