Epilogue

Summary

There is a story to be found on the internet in various versions. Set in a South American country, it describes a boat arriving in the harbour of a tiny village. A US tourist disembarks and compliments a local fisherman on the quality of the fish he is selling. Then the tourist asks the fisherman how long it took him to catch them. ‘Not very long,’ the fisherman answers. The American spots a business opportunity. ‘Why don't you stay out longer, and then you can catch more?’ he asks. The fisherman explains that the size of the catch is perfectly adequate for his needs. It is enough to feed himself and his family. The American asks him what he does with the rest of his time. The fisherman answers that, once his needs are met, he spends his time sleeping late, playing with his children, taking a siesta with his wife. He spends his evenings in the village meeting with friends, playing his guitar, singing songs. He has a full life, he tells the tourist.

The tourist gets excited. ‘I have an MBA from Harvard Business School and I can help you. What you need to do is to start fishing longer every day. You should then sell the extra fish that you catch, and with the extra income you earn you can buy a bigger boat, and catch more fish.’ The fisherman asks, ‘And what then?’ The tourist warms to his theme with missionary zeal. ‘The larger boat will enable you to earn extra money.