A LITTLE WISER

Savouring the simple things in life...is there any greater wealth than this?

By Eric Legace
May 2002

Return to Table of Contents
Print Article

As a Scarboro lay missionary, Eric taught French in China and worked with street kids in Ecuador.

For China’s national holiday on October 1, the students and teachers of the Changchun Overseas Language University get a week off. I decided to use this opportunity to visit Inner Mongolia situated in the northeast of China. One of my fellow teachers, Hector from the Philippines, accompanied me.

During the 15-hour train ride from Changchun to Inner Mongolia, we saw many interesting sights. We looked upon the great grasslands of Mongolia, the breeding place of the great warrior Genghis Khan and his Mongol warriors who for 100 years terrified half the civilized world and conquered the whole of China.

Nothing is left of this great empire now, and Inner Mongolia for the most part is a poverty-stricken and harsh land. We witnessed shepherds keeping their flocks, large eagles soaring in the skies, and horses grazing on the wide-open plains. We made it to the Siberian border where we felt the first bite of the coming winter.

Yet, what I particularly enjoyed was the time spent on the train lying on a hard bunk and chatting with Hector. We had many interesting discussions, covering various subjects from religious beliefs to the meaning of life and death.

Being in Mongolia was a humbling experience as we witnessed great poverty and hardship. We commented on the fact that, as people in many western societies worry about future financial security and the performance of their stocks, most people here worry about having enough to survive in the coming weeks.

This got us talking about the constant search for wealth and material gain—this worldwide religion of which each of us is a part. It was then that Hector, a great storyteller, told me a story that exposed the futility of constantly running after material gain.

The story goes like this. There once was a fisherman who worked on the shores of one of the many small fishing villages in the Philippines. Throwing his net in the water, he hoped for a good catch.

A successful businessman passing along the road near the shore stopped to see the fisherman struggling with his line and his small net, working arduously on the catch of the day. He approached the fisherman and said, “Tell me, why don’t you invest in a bigger net?”

The fisherman, slightly irritated by this disruption, turned to see the businessman standing on the shore. “Why should I?” he replied. “This net is sufficient.”

“Come now, my good man,” said the businessman, “you could triple your catch with a bigger net.”

“And what would be the use?” asked the fisherman. “My family and I have more than enough to subsist.”

“Yes, but with a bigger net, you could sell the surplus and make a lot more money,” answered the businessman.

“And what would be the use of that?” asked the fisherman.

“Well, for example, you could save your money and buy yourself a boat. You could hire a small fishing crew and sail out to sea where the fish are abundant.”

“And then what?” asked the fisherman.

“Then you’d be rich. You could have anything you wished for,” explained the businessman, as if the answer was an obvious one.

“I already have everything I want,” replied the fisherman. “I have work that keeps me busy all year long. I have a wonderful wife who takes my day’s work and turns it into a nourishing meal. And I have a son who is also on his way to becoming an excellent fisherman and following in his father’s footsteps. What else could I ask for? Is there truly any greater wealth than this?”

The businessman stood on the shore, thinking of a hundred arguments he could bring forward, none of which could undo the fisherman’s reasoning. The fisherman waited an instant, but hearing no response, returned to his small net and his fishing line.

The businessman stood on the shore for a few minutes longer, observing the fisherman, and then quietly walked away a wiser man.

And, as the train rolled on through the Mongolian grasslands, both Hector and I kept a serene silence, having enough food for thought to last us for the remaining time on the train.

A former Scarboro lay missionary, Eric Lagacé now teaches French in Ontario.

Return to Table of Contents
Print Article