The Parable

I'm sure many have already read about the Mexican Fisherman Parable, if you have't done so, you could read from here, here & here. I like this parable but since most have been written from western perspective, I thought I just writeup an Asian edition as well too ;P

So here goes ......

While touring around Northern Thailand, a modern Asian tourist stumbled upon wonderfully aromatic & delicious rice cooked by a Thai Villager. Upon further queries, he learned that the villagers have been harvesting wild rice in a secret spot amongst the mountains. He complimented the Thai for the fantastic rice and asked him how long it took to harvest them.

"Not very long" replied the Thai

"So why didn't you stay out longer and harvest more?" asked the puzzled Asian

"Because it already sufficient to support our family daily needs"

"But what do you do with the rest of your time?"



"Well, I have long afternoon naps & tea with my lover, play with children a little, soak in hot spring bath, enjoy driving around the mountains. In the evening, we go village to visit my friends, play guitar, sing songs & be merry ..... "

The Asian interrupted. "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you achieve greater success! You should start harvesting longer every day. You can sell extra rice your harvest to generate more revenue.

"And then?" asked the Thai

"With extra revenue, you can employ more people. This will brings in more harvest and hence even greater profits. After which, you can start export the rice yourself, expand your geographical reach for even better profits! Then, you can leave this small village and head to big modern cities, setup big enterprises to make even more money"

"How long?"

"20, perhaps 25 years?

"And after that?"

"Now, this is where it gets interesting. Once your business becomes really big, you can IPO and start selling stocks to make millions & millions of dollars"

"Oh really? Okie, and after that?"

"After that you'll ve able to retire, live in small village, have long afternoon naps & tea with your lover, play with your children, drive around and spend evening with enjoying with your village friends."

************* Self Thoughts *****************
Quite often, we have been locked in that silly rat race, trying to achieve success & happiness as defined by others. Did we stop, step out for a moment, and asked ourselves what we truly wanted? Who knows, we may already be there!

The original Mexican Fisherman story is a inspiration for me, It has taught me not to be blind follower of herd in the pursue of success & happiness. Instead, we should define for ourselves what truly ours.

Hopefully my asian edition is close to what it's trying to teach.
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Notes about Photos
All photos in the slideshow are taken during my trip to North Thailand (Mae Hong Son) during 2002. They are taken at various places - Mae Chaem, Pai, Mae-U-Kor. The Mexican Sunflower fields are spectacular.

More information can be found in the following website.
Travel Mae Hong Son