How Much Fish Can You Eat?

I can't remember if I posted this story or not. Parable, really. But I've been telling it a lot of late.

People keep asking, "When are you going to build a third guest-house?" or "Aren't you going to become an IT?" or "Why not hire another instructor?"

And so I tell this story:

Some super-successful businessman, founder of a company that makes bullet-proof backpacks or some shit, wants to go fishing.

Asks around a little and learns that this one dude is the absolute best. Fish jump out of the ocean into his boat.

So he finds this guy just hanging out by his little, beat-up, 20' motorboat that's hauled up on the beach. Dude is just sitting there plucking away at a guitar.

"I hear you're the bestyou're the best."

"Yeah, you know, whatever. I suppose you'd like to go fishing?"

So the guy climbs in the boat and cuz pushes it into the sea.

Sure enough, fish are coming up with every cast.

And the businessman is all, "This is amazing! You really are the best. Why don't you have another boat?"

"I can only drive one boat, man."

"Yeah, but you could hire another captain and train them up. Hell, you could hire a fleet! With numbers like yours you could get commercial boats instead of just rod and line."

"Who is going to eat all that fish?"

"Well, you could build a shop. Or even a packaging plant. Or both!"

"So I'd need employees."

"Of course. Floor staff, accountants, managers, mechanics, the whole lot. But you would make a killing!"

"And then what?"

"Well... then after some years of hard work, with all that money, you could retire and just do whatever you want!"

"Interesting. Interesting," the fisherman tapped his chin, "Thing is, though... you know what I want to do?"

"What?"

"I want to sit on the beach dicking around with my guitar and go fishing every once in a while. Which is what I already do. And there aren't any extra steps."

And then the businessman realizes that all of life is a lie, corporate greed ruins lives and is killing the planet, and drowns himself in existential despair.

.............. OK, I added that last bit to the story as I originally heard it.

But we're still not building a third guesthouse.