Life, Hope Joy And Compromise

 & Compromise

This is the place where fun never dies. It was told by a close companion at late dusk after university classes. I nevertheless recollected thought while I was paying for two months' tuition fees for my younger son. 

The swings of life change their colors with time. Sages claim that life possesses the most profound meaning of survival, while young folk says eat, drink, and enjoy. Women identify it with the means of a rich and lovely husband.  Graduates and jobless define it in the means of hope. Old fellas in the form of financial freedom and healthy sex life. Bachelors and teenagers aim for true love. 

Life is a relative thing. Masses argue that the ultimate solution to doing something astonishing is earning money and adopting a lifestyle that is not similar to normal. Why are humanoid groups marching in different avenues of comparison? Theodore Roosevelt once said, " Comparison is the thief of the joy." Comparison is to determine ones worth with the performance of others in a social frame. Such feelings give birth to a force that kills positive norms of the society in which one lives life, and instead, it increases the speed of ones earning. His wealth-making rate shakes him financially well; often, it diverts them on wrongdoings like creating unacceptable wealth in society. In the past, the hegemonic society has established standards for wealth creation. In the time of gadgets, the established standards adopted by different religions are also fading away.  

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several giant yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “only a little while.”

The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “but what do you do with 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, and 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 have an MBA from Harvard, and can help you,” he said. “You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, and eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middle-man, you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening up your own cannery. You could control the product, processing, and distribution,” he said. “Of course, you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, and eventually to New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?” To which the American replied, “Oh, 15 to 20 years or so.”

“But what then?” asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time was right, you would announce an IPO, sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The American said, “Then you could retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play guitar with your amigos.”

Whenever Rafiq Lala's words hit my thoughts, it gives me a lesson that neither wealth creation nor comparison is responsible for it. But the priorities of life are changing for every human being, they shape life according to their own vision and work for it in different manners. 

The most exciting thing innovated by human beings is that they gave birth to hope. The only species on the planet is humans who play or toss for hope. Hope is like a blue drug looks good, tastes good, and feels good, but its after-effects are worse than any lethal poison. Other social animals never live or die for hope; their approach is quite different. According to Abrahamic religions, Hope is good with good acts. 

Once again, In the end, it reminds me of Mr Rafiq Lala who used to say in a high good mood that this is a place where fun never dies. At that time we were young, wild and free; we amigos presumed that other beings around the university campus will look at the world and it's meaning for survival with the same glasses. But today, I realized that we couple of friends were assuming the wrong expectation. The foremost thing which works magically is to work smart and logically and earn bucks to settle on some beach islands for the rest of life.