I am not sure if it was the food they served, or the person sitting next to me, or even the persistent cries of a toddler but I soon found myself drooling into the emptiness of the night sky. I can’t say I was drooling over certain objects because there simply isn’t anything on that moon-lit evening. But I am sure my mind was captivated subconsciously by my own imagination, or if you insist, drowned into my philosophical world. I could subject myself in total engrossment for hours if not for the occasional clicking of the mouse by my neighbouring fellow flyer. Which, in a way, begs another question…….how is that some people have this notion of working in sandwiched condition, 40000 feet above the ground and in an environment where the oxygen level is constantly deprived by my organic farts. It amazes me to see people, of all sizes, clicking happily and submerged themselves over the 10 inches monitor. You think better? You write better? Or is it because it’s the norm! I don’t have an answer to that question but I suspect it has something to do with bad time management. Whichever way we may care to interpret their ‘busy-ness’, incompetence is not far from the answer, I think.
Anyway, piercing deep out of the aircraft’s tiny window, I cannot help but to think how big the world can be. There is the calmness of the night sky and there are the constant flickers of light to remind me the clusters of the inhabitants some 40000 feet below. I asked myself what life can be in this remote part of the world. What do they do for a living? Do they know the world beyond the comfort of their own hermit? Were they there by their very own choices, or was it their fates and destinies to remain in the realms of sleepy townships? I can’t help but to remind myself that I too came from a sleepy township. As I said to my nephew earlier in one of our many nonsensical chat over MSN, it wasn’t our choice to be born and bred in the hinterlands. The only comfort, so to speak, was the fact we tried, within our means, to make tomorrow a better day. Ironically, it is also by the same token that many of us sought to find the peace and tranquility within our soul, in this bustling world, through the isolation of sleepy old towns / countryside. So you tell me……..who in this world is leading a happier life, you or them? This incidentally leads me to an interesting story about a fisherman and a businessman.
There was once an American businessman who was sitting by the beach in a small Mexican village. As he sat, he saw a Mexican fisherman rowing a small boat towards the shore and noticed that the fisherman has caught quite a number of big fishes that is known to be a delicacy. The American was really impressed and asked the fisherman, "How long does it take you to catch so many fishes?"
The fisherman replied, "Oh, just a short while."
"Then why don't you stay longer at sea and you could catch even more?" The businessman was astonished.
The fisherman simply does not agree. "This is enough to feed my whole family," he says.
The businessman then asked, "So, what do you do for the rest of the day then?"
The fisherman replied, "Well, I usually wake up early in the morning, go out to sea and catch a few fishes, then I would go back and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I will take a nap with my wife, and evening comes, I will join my buddies in the village for a drink, we play guitar, sing and dance throughout the night. My days are ever so complete and carefree."
The businessman does not agree with his way of life and offered a suggestion to the fisherman.
"I am a PhD holder graduated from Harvard University, specialising in business management. I could help you to become a more successful person. From now on, you have to spend more time at sea and try to catch as many fishes as possible. And when you have saved enough money, you could buy a bigger boat and catch even more fishes. As you go on, you will be able to afford to buy more boats, recruit more fishermen and lead a team of your own. Soon you will be able to set up your own company, your very own production plant for canned food and do direct selling to your distributors. At that time, you will have moved out of this village and to Mexico City, and then expand your operation to LA.
The businessman reply, "About 15 to 20 years."
The fisherman continues, "And after that?"
The businessman laughs heartily, "After that, you can live like a king in your own house, and when the time is right, you can go public and float your shares in the Stock Exchange, by then you will be rich, your income will be coming in by the millions!"
The fisherman asks, "And after that?"
The businessman says, "After that, you can finally retire, you can move to a house by the fishing village, wake up early in the morning and catch a few fishes, then return home to play with kids, have a nice afternoon nap with your wife, and when evening comes, you can join your buddies for a drink, play the guitar, sing and dance throughout the night!"
The fisherman was puzzled, "Isn't that what I am doing now?"
So, what does one really hope to achieve in life? Do we really need to work so hard in life? What do you hope to accomplish in the end? I don’t have an answer to that but looking at the world below me, I can only say “once people make it big, they are anxious that ordinary people don't have the chance to follow in their footsteps. That's why they are called conservatives; they want to conserve the status quo, people who have money and power keeps it, people who have neither will never get either.”
Looking more closely into the window is the reflection of my own face. It may not be as clear as a mirror but nonetheless featured pronounceable lines of wrinkles. Guess it is time for me to go home, and be a fisherman. How about you?
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