The Rat Race Explained

[SDsalsaguy]

The Rat Race Explained:

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist questioned
the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it
took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the
American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his
needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta
with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends,
have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs... I have a
full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help
you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the
extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.
With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second
one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of
trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate
directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.
You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los
Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge
enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? That's when it gets really interesting," answered the
American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start
selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?"

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the
coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a
siesta, and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

[Larinda McRaven]

:D

[Pacion]

:lol:

[Sagitta]

I'm that village man. :wink: :)

[salsachinita]

There was another version of this story set in Greek islands with an olive farmer 8) ..........

This means I'm living the live of a millionaire right now :P .........

MY life: Sleep late, have my toasted muesli soaked in soymilk with fruits, DF a little, make quilts/write instructions, run errands/shop, catch up with friends over lunch/coffee, debate a little salsa-related issues in the street, home to have dinner with my family, than out dancing salsa finished by a bite to eat with fellow dancers/muscians. Drop everyone home, then get some sleep before the day starts again.

.........so remind me why I feel disatisfied sometimes :? ......? There's NO reason, really 8) .............

[MacMoto]

This means I'm living the live of a millionaire right now :P .........

MY life: Sleep late, have my toasted muesli soaked in soymilk with fruits, DF a little, make quilts/write instructions, run errands/shop, catch up with friends over lunch/coffee, debate a little salsa-related issues in the street, home to have dinner with my family, than out dancing salsa finished by a bite to eat with fellow dancers/muscians. Drop everyone home, then get some sleep before the day starts again.

.........so remind me why I feel disatisfied sometimes :? ......? There's NO reason, really 8) .............
Anytime you want a life swap, let me know! :wink:

[SDsalsaguy]

Heya SC, remember... even if you win the rat race, you're still a rat! :shock:

Enjoy what you have! :D

[Vin]

Thanks SD really puts things into prospective

[SDsalsaguy]

Thanks SD really puts things into prospective
My pleasure Vin... now if I could only remember to read this a bit more regularly myself... :wink:

[GalacticDancer44M]

Great story! :lol: But it's official, I saw a bumper sticker that declared "The Rat Race is over, the Rat's won!"

[Sagitta]

Great story! :lol: But it's official, I saw a bumper sticker that declared "The Rat Race is over, the Rat's won!" I'm really sorry for those for whom it is true.

[salsachinita]

This means I'm living the live of a millionaire right now :P .........

MY life: Sleep late, have my toasted muesli soaked in soymilk with fruits, DF a little, make quilts/write instructions, run errands/shop, catch up with friends over lunch/coffee, debate a little salsa-related issues in the street, home to have dinner with my family, than out dancing salsa finished by a bite to eat with fellow dancers/muscians. Drop everyone home, then get some sleep before the day starts again.

.........so remind me why I feel disatisfied sometimes :? ......? There's NO reason, really.............

Looking back at my old life (the above post was made while recovering from illness), I have a much more ordinary one now: back in the 9-5 conventional lifestyle :| .

It took a long time to re-adjust from my "millionaire" lifestyle; but I'd have to say I'm getting to be happy again.

Went dancing last night & realised that the connection I built over the years in my little salsa world cannot be lost or taken away from me :D .....!

.....it felt like I had never left (in a good way) :cool: .......

*Just thoguht I'd share*

[Peaches]

The Rat Race Explained:

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist questioned
the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it
took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the
American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his
needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta
with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends,
have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs... I have a
full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help
you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the
extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.
With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second
one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of
trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate
directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.
You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los
Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge
enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? That's when it gets really interesting," answered the
American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start
selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?"

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the
coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a
siesta, and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."


Oh, christ, that hits home.

I've had almost the identical argument with my father in law, to whom I no longer speak, over just about the exact same thing.

Him: why don't you go private sector and make lots more money, you're young, you can do the hours.

Me: because I'm making plenty enough as it is. I can pay our bills, have a house, save for retirement, have insurance, have some fun on the side, and enjoy all the time I get with my husband, friends and family.

Him: but you could be making so much more. What does it matter that you'd be working 80 hours a week? A couple years of that and you'd have the time to spend with DH. And (and this is the kicker), you'd have enough so you could quit working and have babies.


All the same though, I'm fighting hard not to fall into the rat race trap. Most times, I feel like I'm losing. ...but without it, how would I pay for my dance lessons?!?!? ;-)

[Laura]

When I was younger I was never interested in the rat race, and it really weirded my parents out. They kept complaining to me about how I "had no ambition." Well, I got ratty, partly to please them, and ended up with wrecked health and losing millions of dollars due to a corporate accounting scandal (I was not party to it, just a victim of it). So, I ended up pretty much back to where I would have been without racing so much. It left me all wondering "what the heck was the point?"

Meanwhile, my dad has anxiety attacks because he led such a high-stress life when he was working that his body still can't deal with it even post-retirement.

[Peaches]

Yup, the job-related stress and hours just about did my father in. Granted, genetics didn't help much, but the job was the kicker.

I'd love to find a way off the treadmill. But I know I don't have that kind of courage. I know that DH and I will be the ones to have to take care of my parents, and probably his, when they get older. So, we've got to plan for that. And since we won't have kids, we've got to plan for our own safety net.

With my personality, I think not being on the treadmill, so to speak, would be worse for my health. My parents followed their dreams, and I admire that and wouldn't trade my childhood. But it left them broke and without any money to live off of when they get old. I couldn't handle that.

So...up at 4:30, Monday through Thursday for me!

[Laura]

Wow Peaches, I'm impressed with your attitude. You come across sounding very positive about it all.

[Peaches]

Er, thanks, I guess.

I'm just a realist. I try to be a positive one, but a realist nonetheless.

My parents did their thing, and they were happy doing it. It was such a wonderful way to grow up, despite the things that were made hard by it. I wouldn't trade it for anything. (They might want to change the way some things came out, but looking at it with my rose-colored kid glasses, it was great. Even when it wasn't.)

But the way we lived had an impact on both my brother and me. He's turning out very much like them--when he sees something he wants he just does it and figures out how to deal with the problems later. He follows his dreams. Me, OTOH, I ended up craving stability. I want to know that my present and future is as secure as I can make it. I don't ever want to be in a situation like my mother describes: staring at $50 and trying to figure out how to make that feed a family of 4 for a month.

So, yeah, I'm a rat in the rat race. I actually hate my job (love my co-workers and benefits, but the job sucks). But it gives me the stability that I need to be mentally healthy. And, it lets me prepare for the reality that's coming down the pike--my parents, and DH's parents, will not be able to provide for themselves through retirement (or when they get too old to work). My brother won't be able to, DH's siblings WON'T, so it falls to us. No sense in fighting it. So, I revel in the silver linings. I'm lucky to have a 40-hr/wk job that pays well, so I can spend plenty of time with DH and friends and family, and have the $ for lots of "playing" on the side.

Besides, the rat race is payig for my dance lessons.