 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Poems & Tales
"Worries of A Fisherman" By Anonymous
A fisherman was out at sea. He cast out his net and waited for hours for a catch. During those hours, thoughts and worries danced throughout his mind. "What shall I do? If I don't get a catch I won't be able to collect money for the fish. Without money I won't be able buy the things I need, I won't be able to buy the things my wife needs, I won't be able buy the things my children need. We will be left with nothing, and will be shameful in the eyes of our friends and the people around us. Our life will be left in ruins. We will lose our house, we will lose our land, we will lose our pride and respect." As time passed by, the worries of the fisherman became so strong that they engulfed his mind. He became impatient and decided to leave his net and go back to shore to find another way to make money to buy the things that he and his family need.
A few moments later, another fisherman came by and noticed that an empty net was just sitting there in the water. So the fisherman took the net and positioned it to catch fish. After a very long time, the net was so full of fish that it was almost bursting open. To his joy, he pulled out the net and took the fish back to shore to sell it to the fish market.
On his way to the fish market, the fisherman's friends and the people around him noticed all the fish that he had and were commending him for such a big catch. As the fisherman was selling his fish to the owner of the fish market, a man came up to him and said, "This is my net, and these are my fish!" The fisherman answered, "If this is your net and these are your fish, then why did you leave them out to sea?" The man answered, "I was out to sea for a long time, I was worried that I was not going to catch any fish, so I became impatient and left my net to come to shore and find another way to make money." Then the fisherman said, "Then you were foolish, for you let your worries cloud your mind and judgment. I was there for a long time, and I was patient and waited for the fish to come to me instead of me coming to the fish. These fish are the result of my patience and hard work, therefore they belong to me. But if you wish, here is your net back, for the emptiness in it belongs to you.
The man took his empty net and walked away shamefully, while the fisherman collected his money and went home happy.
