On the west coast of Europe, a poor-looking man in shabby clothes was dozing in a fishing boat in the harbor. At that time, an elegantly dressed tourist was putting a color film on his camera to take a picture of the refreshing view in front of him. That heartwarming view; the blue sky, the clear sea that welcomes its guests in its most sincere way, black boots, a red fisherman’s hat… And a pose; click.
One more pose: snap. Well, the best of all is the third one, or take a third pose; click. But this titillating, sleep-hating crackle sound awakens the napping fisherman. The fisherman gets up in his stupefied state, making a move to hold the pack of cigarettes with his drowsiness. Before he could find what he was looking for, the tourist stretched the package with great effort, as if he had it in his eye. He does not take the cigarette directly to his mouth but holds it in his hand. And the fourth click. This lighter sound now completes this courtesy table.
With this display of extreme courtesy, the tourist looks for ways to start a conversation as long as his grammar is sufficient.
“Your hunt will be good today.”
The fisherman shakes his head as if to say no.
“But I was told the weather would be favorable.”
The fisherman nods again.
“Aren’t you going to open up too?”
The fisherman, who is getting angrier and angrier with the tourist, shakes his head no. Of course, he heartily wishes for the goodness of this poor, shabby man; When he thinks of missed opportunities, the tourist’s sadness gnaws at his heart. “Don’t you feel well?”
The fisherman finally stops using his body language and the truth spills out: “I feel so good.” says. I’ve never felt this good before.” He stands up, stretching to show how fit he is. “I feel great.”
An increasingly sad expression appears on the tourist’s face. He can no longer hold in himself what he wants to ask, his heart will almost burst out of boredom. “Well, why don’t you open up?” The answer is short and clear: “Because I opened this morning.”
“Was the hunt good?”
“It was so good that I didn’t have to open up again; I had four lobsters in my fish basket, and I caught nearly two dozen mackerels.”
The fisherman finally got over his sleepiness. He taps the tourist’s shoulder for comfort. The look of worry on the tourist’s face turns into a touching sadness.
“I have enough fish for tomorrow and even after tomorrow.” says the fisherman to reassure the stranger.
“Will you light my cigarette?”
“Sure, thanks.”
Both bring their cigarettes to their mouths and the fifth click. The stranger sits on the edge of the fishing boat with a confused look and puts down the camera because he will use both hands to emphasize his words while speaking.
“I don’t want to get involved in your personal affairs.” “But you told me you could open a second, third, and maybe fourth time today and catch three, four, five, maybe ten dozen mackerels.”
The fisherman nods.
“And do you know what will happen in your fasting, not just today, but tomorrow and after tomorrow, and two, three, maybe four times every day that is opportune?” the tourist continues.
The fisherman shakes his head no.
“You can buy a big boat in a year at the latest, you can have a second fishing boat in two years, maybe a small boat in three or four years. Two boats or boats, of course, means a lot more fish, and one day you will have two boats and…” He pauses for a moment and continues. “You can build a small cold store, maybe a fishery, then a brine factory. You can get the license and open fish restaurants, export them directly to Paris without intermediaries – and then…” his enthusiasm again interrupts the stranger’s speech. Shaking his head, he looks at the peaceful waves, where the unfished fish play lively, with a deep sadness in his heart, almost forgetting the joy of the holiday.
“And then…” says the stranger, but he is out of breath again from excitement, unable to speak. The fisherman pats him on the back as if hitting a child with something in his windpipe. “What next?” he asks slowly.
“Then…” says the stranger, his excitement subsided, “then you can sit here peacefully in the harbor and take a nap in the sun – and gaze at the delightful sea for a long time.”
“But I’m already doing that now.” says the fisherman. “I was already sitting peacefully in the port, dozing off until that rattling sound of your machine bothered me.”
Faced with such a reality, the tourist suddenly falls into thought. Until that day, he had always worked believing that one day he would not have to work. And suddenly he has no pity for that poor-looking fisherman in shabby clothes; All he feels is a little bit of jealousy.
Heinrich Böll – “An Anecdote on the Collapse of Business Ethics”
