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Common inheritance (1)

Common inheritance

Is your ideal life a fisherman?

Hello. I'm Mike, a lawyer living in Hong Kong.

A new theme. I've been thinking about it since last spring, when I was confined to my house in Corona, listening to lectures by various people on Zoom and reading books related to it.

What would a truly rich and ideal life look like?

Recently, I've been thinking about it more and more, and it's become an idea that I want to realise. That's what I'm going to write about in this title. Along the way, I'll also introduce you to some books that I've read and have been greatly influenced by. I'm still trying to sort out my thoughts, so I'll be writing this blog as I go along, trying to clear my head and develop my ideas. I'll also be talking about capitalism and environmental destruction. I'll explain why I chose this title in due course. So, please bear with me and bear with me if I make some corrections or changes from time to time.

Have you ever heard of the story of the fisherman and the consultant? It's famous and you've probably heard of it, but here's the story in a nutshell The story goes like this

An elite American consultant was strolling through a small village on the coast of Mexico. A small boat was moored in the harbour and a fisherman had just caught a few live fish.

An American consultant asks.

"'That's a nice fish. How long did it take you to catch it?"

The Mexican fisherman replies.

"Just an hour or two."

"It's a shame. If we fished longer, we could catch more."

"It's good enough for my family."

"So what do you do the rest of the time?"

"I get up slowly in the morning, go fishing, catch a few fish, come back and play with the kids, then have a relaxing siesta with my wife in the afternoon. In the evening I enjoy a drink with friends and playing the guitar."

Hearing this, the consultant laughed and said.

"AS A HARVARD MBA CONSULTANT, I HAVE SOME ADVICE FOR YOU. "AS A HARVARD MBA CONSULTANT, I WOULD ADVISE YOU TO GET UP EARLIER AND FISH LONGER. YOU'LL CATCH MORE FISH THAN YOU DO NOW, SO YOU'LL SELL THE EXTRA FISH TO BUY A BIGGER FISHING BOAT. THEN YOU CAN CATCH MORE FISH, SO YOU BUY MORE BOATS AND EVENTUALLY YOU HAVE A BIG FISHING FLEET. THE NEXT STEP IS TO STOP SELLING THE FISH TO MIDDLEMEN AND SET UP YOUR OWN PROCESSING FACTORY TO PROCESS THE FISH DIRECTLY. THEN YOU LEAVE THIS LITTLE FISHING VILLAGE AND MOVE TO MEXICO CITY, THEN TO LOS ANGELES, AND FINALLY TO NEW YORK, AND YOU'RE THE OWNER OF A BIG COMPANY."

When the fisherman hears this, he asks the consultant.

"So how long will it take for that to happen?"

"'Fifteen to twenty years, maybe. If you work really hard, it could be shorter."

"And then what?"

"You'll be a millionaire when you sell your company's shares!"

"So?"

"Then I'm going to retire and live in a small village near the coast. I'd sleep in the morning, spend the afternoon fishing, playing with the kids and having a siesta with my wife, and in the evening I'd have a drink with my friends, playing the guitar and singing songs. It's great!" (Author unknown)

I don't remember when, but when I first read this story, I thought it was just a common American joke making fun of the business elite. It's funny, but if a storm comes or a fisherman gets injured and can't fish, he won't be able to eat for long. On the other hand, the consultant has more than enough wealth, so even if a storm comes or a fisherman gets injured, he will have nothing to worry about. In the end, he thought that the life of a consultant was superior to that of a fisherman in the same village. I also thought that there was no comparison between the two, since they had created a listed company, were running the economy, and had the valuable experience of success. The story of an individual who succeeds in the framework of capitalism and joins the ranks of the capitalists is the very embodiment of capitalism.

But now that I've read this again, it's starting to look like a completely different story. This fisherman is actually richer and more luxurious than the rest of us. The basis of this fisherman's life, which is not mentioned here, is actually solid and his living environment is full of intelligence and culture. It was only a long time ago that we thought that the life of a consultant was superior.

Now, let's take capitalism as the thesis. Is the antithesis then the fisherman? No, the antithesis to capitalism The antithesis of capitalism is socialism. So what about fishermen?

The fisherman is a ginther.

See you next time.

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