Off topic: The Amercan Businessman.... (appreciate what you have)

[wake_rider]

An American businessman was standing at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.

"How long it took you to catch them?" The American asked.

"Only a little while." The Mexican replied.

"Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" The American then asked.

"I have enough to support my family's immediate needs." The Mexican said.

"But," The American then asked, "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 a siesta 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, senor."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds you buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats." "Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own can factory. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?"

To which the American replied, "15-20 years."

"But what then, senor?"

The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO (Initial Public Offering) and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."

"Millions, senor? Then what?"

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

 

[wake_rider]

I'm beginning to wonder if anyone even read this to the end! I thought it was a good proverb...

 

[dirtbikr99]

I really enjoyed this.

He could do all that and then donate almost all of the earning to his small fishing village. They could build better schools and hospitals, parks, have extra money around so they do not have to comericalize ever.

 

[Patman]

There is no mention of dodging bullets, dealing with his kids being kidnapped or corrupt police / officials so it's more of a fairytale.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

I liked it.

 

[wake_rider]

There is no mention of dodging bullets, dealing with his kids being kidnapped or corrupt police / officials so it's more of a fairytale.

Ah, you're one of those kind, eh? You need to realize that Mexico City, Juarez, and Tijuana don't represent the majority of Mexico. To be honest, each of the 4 times I've been to Mexico I've experienced nothing but kindness and generosity that Americans just don't understand.

My wife and I visited the tiny Pacific fishing village of Yelapa (south of Puerto Vallarta about 60 miles) that was only accessible by boat. The village had no electricity or running water (other than a primitive system of open top chutes running from a waterfall up a mountain about 600 yards away from the village that ran to a holding tank in the middle of the village where people pumped water from). The people took extreme pride in showing us around their village and they all seemed to be incredibly happy. They had nothing, yet offered us everything they had. There were about 6 of us plus a guide that grew up in that village and as these people handed us drinks they had made the guide informed us that it would be disrespectful to a) not accept the drink b) try to pay for it. They weren't happy because we were wealthy by their standards, just that we were interested in their way of life. Btw, the drinks were an alcohol that they make themselves then it was mixed with coconut milk and some other juice. The alcohol was smooth and kind of sweet, fairly high proof, and served out of a big hand-made clay pot that almost looked like a giant crock-pot.

We spent two days there and were never treated like anything less than a celebrity, and all we had to pay the entire time was $15 per couple to stay in a private shack overlooking a cliff that dropped down about 150 feet to the beach, in massive hammocks. It was amazing. There was always a group of elder ladies constantly cooking meals for the entire village and us, men coming in off boats, and kids going to and from school in these tiny outboard motor water taxi's. It was a 35 minute ride both directions for them to get to school, crazy. I wonder what they did when storm swells moved in?!

Anyways Patman, your conception of what Mexico is couldn't be more off. Just as it would not be wise to walk around in thousand dollar suits, driving a Porsche, while talking on an I-phone in the middle of Compton, you would want to keep your wits about you in Mexico. Don't go to the highly tourist areas and walk around like you own the place, also, don't go to the roughest cities and expect that nothing would happen, just as you wouldn't here in the US, either. Btw, there wasn't a police officer one in Yelapa. There was no need for one whenever the village is so communal. They all respect and take care of eachother and their guests, so there's no need...

 

[2strokerfun]

Sounds nice. But I have to say that I can't seen anything good coming out giving me free booze near the top of a 150-foot cliff. (Some see the glass half empty; some see it half full; I see it as a potential bloody foot after I drop it and shatter it on the floor !!)

 

[Patman]

wake_rider if you only had the slightest clue LOL! I've been going in and out of Mexico for over 30 years, I have friends that live in various cities across the country. While it still is possible to find your little piece of Myan Mecca I can assure you it is FAR FAR less often than you seem to believe. I recall being 10 and running around in Progresso, Reyonsa, Nuevo Laredo where things are very different from your fishing village these days. I was given food by street vendors, patted on the head by federal police and never were my parents concerned, sounds nice eh? Now a very different situation. OK bad example? Let's go a bit further south and a much more current date. Monterrey? Tampico? How about Oaxaca? Private schools, security at the gates to neighborhoods & clubs are "normal" for almost every kid my son played golf with on various junior tours. Their parents are not flying in on a private jet they drive up in their SUV and tell me how things REALLY are. How it is a very different place from what even they recall just years ago. I guess maybe they don't know either right? :laugh: