Pedal your way to glory

An American businessman was 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 and asked, "How long did it take for you to catch them?"
The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."
The American then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"
The Mexican said, "I have enough to support my family's immediate needs."
The American then asked, "But 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 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 Wharton MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. 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 processor, eventually opening your own cannery. 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 and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."
"Millions, senor? Then what?"
The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."
"But senor, that is what I'm doing now," said the Mexican.

Everyone wants to look busy and act busy as if the world would come to an end if they don't hurry up. In their frenzy to earn a fast buck, people have sold their soul, literally. Yes, very few people have the time to reflect on their life and savour the splendour of silence. The offshoot of this has been that they have been bereft of real happiness and have been substituting it with the pleasures of the market. Increasingly, they are becoming desperate for this or that thing and can't find out the reasons for their restlessness. If only people spend a little time sitting in silence, half the miseries in their world would come crashing down instantly. Because in the first place they were not there. But the irony is only when one goes into the silent depths of the soul can one realise that. I have done it, so I can say it with a tonne of confidence.

Sunday is a lovely day to go into the depths of the soul. And I did just that. I went on a 40-mile bike ride into the outskirts of the city trudging along the valleys, plunging into the deep gorges, and straining in the mud roads. The swaying of the dry leaves in the fields, the simplicity of the farmers and the innocence of their children writ large on their faces added a new zest to my ride. But, most of all, the cool wind challenging you to beat it at its game while at the same time gently pushing you to pedal your way to glory, oh, it's a wonderful feeling to be a biker.