The Fishing Rod

An old man was fishing by the river. A small boy passed by and stopped to look at him fishing. The old man was very skilful and in just a short while, he already had hooked up a basketful of fish.

The old man looked at the boy and wanted to give him the basket of fish. But the boy shook his head and declined to accept. The old man was very surprised. He asked,"Why don't you accept it?"

The boy answered,"I want your fishing rod."

"Why do you want the fishing rod?"

The boy said,"I'll finish eating the fish very soon. If I have a fishing rod, I can have a supply of fish for a lifetime."

What a clever child, you might say.

Wrong. If he just wants the fishing rod, he will not be able to have any fish to eat. This is because he does not know the fishing technique. The main point is not the fishing rod, but the fishing skill.

We must spend time to learn a new skill and to accumulate experience which will serve us a lifetime. Nobody can take away from us the knowledge we acquired.