Fooled by Stories
Stories have been the most popular method of learning about life for thousands of years. The stories of Aesop’s Fable and Panchtantra tales are thousands of years old and yet are very popular even today to explain the world through the moral of the story. In India, the stories of Puranas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata have not only been popular for thousands of years, but they have also shaped the culture and tradition of India. Likewise, the stories of the Iliad and The Odyssey shaped European culture, and the stories of the Bible have influenced not only Europe but the rest of the world.
Stories are potent means to persuade people and pass on the wisdom of the ages.
- In India, the religious Gurus (Kathawachak) usually tell ancient stories that millions of devotees listen to with apt attention.
- Spiritual Gurus like Osho used stories like Nasruddin’s to give the message.
- Every day, millions of copies of fiction are sold, and billions of people watch movies and soap operas in cinema halls and on television.
Fictions and stories are not the true representations of reality, as they are specially written to please the audience and tell what they want to listen to rather than narrating the truth.
Accordingly, every popular story contains a ‘Moral of the Story’, which resonates with the aspirations of people and people foolishly believe that it contains the wisdom of life.
Let us take one such popular story.
An American investment banker met a Mexican fisherman at a pier. The fisherman had caught several large tuna, and the banker complimented him on his catch. The banker asked why he didn’t stay out longer to catch more fish. The fisherman replied, “I catch enough to support my family’s immediate needs.”
The American then asked, “But what do you do for the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.”
The American scoffed, “I’m a Harvard MBA and can help you. Spend more time fishing, buy a bigger boat, then several boats. Sell directly to processors, open your own cannery, and control the entire process. You’ll need to move to Mexico City, LA, and eventually NYC to run your empire.”
The fisherman asked how long this would take, and the banker replied, “15-20 years.“
The fisherman then asked, “But what then?“
The banker laughed and said, “Then you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!“
The fisherman asked, “Millions – then what?“
The banker replied, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”
The fisherman smiled and said, “But that’s what I’m doing now.”
The apparent moral of the story is: “True happiness and fulfilment come from living a simple life, being content with what you have, and appreciating the present moment..”
Stories like this become an instant hit because believing in the story’s message provides you instant happiness, while following the advice of an American Howard Graduate will provide you happiness only in future.
However, the story only tells the half-truth because it does not speak about the pitfalls of living in the present and not planning for your future.
There are many loopholes in the story.
- If you earn only enough to sustain your family, how do you take care of the expenses when your children grow up, go to school and need money for higher education, marriage and setting up a business?
- What will happen if you or a member of your family falls seriously ill and you suddenly need large money to save their lives?
- How are you going to build a house and pay your bills when your family size increases?
- How will you survive when you get old, fall ill and won’t be able to work as much as you do now?
The future of the person following the philosophy of the Mexican fisherman may look like this man who is forced to work 10–12 hours a day, even at the age of 70 years, because he has no savings.
Do you want a life where you are forced to work even when old or sick?
While it is true that the American Investment Banker, too, would love to retire in a coastal village and do fishing, that will be his choice, and he would be doing it to enjoy his life after he retires in old age and not to earn his living. If he does not like fishing or gets bored of it, he can enjoy doing whatever he likes, like reading books, playing guitar, visiting exotic places in the world, or anything else.
The old fisherman, however, would have no option but to sail his boat and do fishing, whether he likes it or not, because that is the job through which he earns the money needed for his survival.
A billionaire may be driving his car just like a driver, but the work is not the same, as the driver is driving the car for wages, while a billionaire is driving it for pleasure.
In reality, the advice of American bankers is not wrong, as we must plan for the future by working harder today and saving for tomorrow.
However, most people lap up the message of popular stories as it is to get instant gratification rather than critically analysing the so-called “Moral of the story’ and finding out the complex truth themselves that can provide them happiness on a long-term basis.
The message of the story of the American Banker and Mexican Fisherman is not entirely wrong, as we must not waste our lives trying to win the rat race of life while life passes away, but it is also not entirely true.
It is also essential to plan the future well so that you enjoy life not only today but also till the last day of your life.
Learning wisdom from stories is suitable only for children or humans with infantile minds who can’t understand the world’s complexity.
When we grow up, we must stop learning wisdom from stories and use our critical thinking to analyse the popular fallacies conveyed through fiction to understand the truth and lead our lives according to reality and not by fiction and fallacy.
Stories are good for entertainment but are the most inferior method for learning the wisdom of life.
Source of pictures: Google Images
