Growing up, no matter the culture, we are constantly exposed to stories and fables that are inclined to teach moral lessons. One of the more prominent stories I was ever graced to learn was of the fisherman and the beggar:
One early morning, a poor man with naught but the clothes on his back traveled to a small fishing village. Due to his wandering nature, the man had no real skills and little education, a beggar of sorts. As the sun continued to rise, he approached the docks and watched as a fisherman threw out his net and pulled in a hefty catch. Watching with great intent at the delicious meals flopping around, the beggar didn't realize that he was gawking. The fisherman noticed his observer, and hearkened the beggar to his boat. The beggar sheepishly asked if he might take a meal from the fisherman's catch. The fisherman donned a knowing smile and made an offer instead: did the man want one meal today, or to eat for the rest of his life. The beggar, intimidated but still inspired by such great generosity, chose the latter. The fisherman then reached out and handed the beggar a net. As the sun reached its zenith, the fisherman showed the beggar the motions of casting, catching, reeling, and cleaning; things he'd never know before. As their day came to a close, the two men parted ways, but in the end, the communion of ideas tied the men closer than any distance could divide.
While this story exists in many different cultures the premise remains the same: give a man a fish, he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he can eat for the rest of his life. What we are all trying to do is empower people to 'fish' for new ideas, new technologies. It is from teaching that the we are capable of providing for each other new opportunities to grow or progress. Who knows, just by teaching a beggar how to fish, that man might go on to innovate the world of fishing with a new idea for stronger nets, or even reinventing how fishing is done all-together. That's the glory of teaching it provides fertile soil from which ideas never expected might flourish!
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