Life Is Fragile

Insight 71 | Invest In What Really Matters.

Scripture reminds us that life is like a vapor, here a moment, gone the next. Recent events are evidence of just that, and I’ve found myself grappling with just how finite this reality is… how temporary all of us are. 

While I may not have any answers for the “why” behind so much of what goes on in the world, I cannot help but admit that there is a certain wisdom in the old Latin phrase Memento Mori, the philosophical sobering notion that each of us should remember that at some point, death will come knocking.

It acts as a reminder to begin every day we’re given with a ‘thank you’ and end every call to those special to us with an ‘I love you. ’ It's an encouragement to hold them close and keep our priorities in line. And although many of us consciously “know” this truth, the vast majority of us live as if we don’t! 

We bring work home when it could have stayed in the office. We tend to optimize our time without considering our families, and we think legacy is measured by our bank account, social media followers, or the amount of hours spent on the “grind” - I'm as guilty of these things as anybody.

After wrestling with why this is, I believe I have come to a simple yet marvelous conclusion: 

We live life too fast and accidentally trade that of infinite value for that of finite importance.

The following story is a reimagining of a profound folkloric parable commonly known as “The Fisherman and the Banker.” Its specific origins are unknown, and no credit is given to any particular author. The earliest version to gain popularity was written in the 1960s and has been attributed to Heinrich Böll, a German Nobel Prize–winning author who included the account within his text Anekdote zur Senkung der Arbeitsmoral (Anecdote Concerning the Lowering of Productivity). Since then, the structure and its characters have evolved and adapted to relevant history, sometimes using the characters of a fisherman and banker, or, in the case of my retelling, the laidback, casual man of the sea, and the restless and naive entrepreneur. 

Regardless, this story has been spread across countless media and has been the central point in many teachings across universities, schools, homes, and businesses. I believe it illustrates today's point extremely well: Life is too short not to live for what really matters.

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There once sat a man by the seashore. His perch stood a distance from his home on the ocean's edge. It was common for him to arrive at this spot just after dawn, when the sun had begun to climb out of its crib and the world around him slowly crawled out of their cocoons. Here, he would take deep breaths, inhaling rich aromas while sitting in the stillness of the sand. His hands bore countless calluses; the evidence of years at sea. 

Only a few yards away, in his beautiful home lay the love of his life, her breath steady as she peacefully slept. In the other rooms over, their two children quietly rested. A young and naturally curious boy of eight years of age and a beautifully innocent girl, barely old enough to speak.

The thought of them paved a smile on his face. Nothing could ruin this mome— Hey!!!

Startled, he looked around. “Don Armando! Don Armando!!”. A young man's silhouette came into view. He recognized the energetic young man as the village's serial “entrepreneur”, one week selling coconuts to tourists, the next trying his hand at gardening services. Who knew what he had on his mind today. “How are you, Pedro?” 

“Ohhh, I'm well old man, wanted to talk to you about this new business idea I have.” Armando laughed … he invited the ambitious man to sit; it seems he was convinced about the incredible profit potential of his latest idea: the pineapple market. He sat quietly listening until the enthusiastic voice went suddenly silent … a moment later, asking  “Hey … why aren't you out at sea yet?”. 

Armando sat there, confused. It was common for him to go out four to five times a week to catch fish and sell at the market. He made himself a healthy living and supplied for his family with his catch. “What do you mean, hermano?” The aspiring businessman suddenly stood up and, with a wave of his hands, exclaimed, “Don’t you see! You could be doing so much more!!! I've grown up hearing stories of your adventures at sea! I know you are gifted and can catch more fish in a day than most men could catch in a year!” He couldn’t help but hold back a smile.

The young man continued, “You’re up earlier than the other fishermen anyway, why not beat them to the catch? Fish twice as much as you have?”  This left him pensive, and he took a moment to contemplate. Leaning forward in his seat, he asked, “Now why would I do that?” 

Dumbfounded, the overexcited gentleman retorted, “Well, obviously… if you caught more, you would make more than enough money to buy a second boat and hire a helping hand.” Armando said nothing, only nodded - slowly.

“Then, you and your assistant would surely reel in triple the amount of fish you were catching before and could sell them in order to buy your own dock! Again, our fisherman stayed quiet, only murmuring a “mhm” as encouragement for Pedro to continue.

“After that, your business would be well-suited to expand its fleet to five or six boats, and instead of worrying on the seas, you could manage the company from the shore! Then, as business keeps booming, you could expand to those fancy new mechanical boats or potentially buy another dock somewhere else on the island to fish in even more waters! …  Imagine the potential!!!” 

One could tell Armando was seriously considering this proposition. He took the idea and held it inquisitively, like someone holding an object to the light. “I see your point”, he whispered.

After a few more moments of thought, leaning forward, he innocently responded, “And why would I want to do that?”

Bewildered and sitting back down to look Armando in the eyes, the young entrepreneur replied,  “So that one day you can rise peacefully, sit on the beach and enjoy the sunrise while you sip a cup of coffee and reflect on the beauties of this life!” 

With a look of wisdom and compassion, a certain tenderness in his eyes, the fisherman replied,

“But isn’t that what I'm already doing?”

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Notice how the fisherman in our story did not lack any ambition whatsoever; The tales of his tremendous feats and capabilities were famous and brought him a good name, additionally he was an early riser and a true family man. Therefore, in reflection of the parable, we should all realize that ambition itself is not the problem, but it can be a distraction. See, MORE doesn't mean better, it just means more. 

Many of us are naturally proactive and determined, living out our callings and life's purpose through our work and daily ministries. This is good and an extension of the commands given by the Lord to uplift his name, as evidenced by the direct instruction given to us in Matthew 5:16:

Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven

But the truth is that many of us fall into the trap of being like the young entrepreneur: We’re always chasing the next big thing, never realizing that we’re living a dream ourselves. 

This fisherman's story fundamentally changed my thinking when a mentor from my youth shared it with me many years ago. This week, as I’ve contemplated just how fragile this life truly is, I cannot help but recall the words of Abraham Lincoln: "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." 

So, we must consider this: are we alive, or are we actually living?

We attempt to find fulfillment in things of this world while forgetting we were made by somebody with an eternal Heaven on His mind. This is a mistake we should actively strive to correct. As evidenced by everything going on in the world today, Life is too short not to live for what really matters.

- Making The Most Of Being Curious

Daniel J. Cuesta

P.S.: Truth be told, we can’t take our money, our homes, our possessions, or any other material things with us when we die. With that in mind, many of us might be left wondering, “What now?”

This is where my hope in Christ strengthens me. As we are finite creatures with a longing for the infinite, our deepest voids can only be satisfied with the pure, the good, and the divine. Today, more than ever, we must reassess whether what we are chasing can truly satisfy us, to question whether we have been focused on the wrong things. If we are here one moment and gone the next, there is no better time than now to find fulfillment in the arms of a Good Father. If you're seeking or unsure of the legitimacy of his claim, I invite you to explore it for yourself and ask questions, or even reach out.

Knowing this, we should not strive for things of “only” financial value but rather things of infinite importance. Things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Moments with God, family, and friends. Good meals and core memories. We must pursue our living through Christ-like action, not through self-motivated greed. 

Sources:

Our Days Our Short. We Must Be Intentional With How We Use Them: Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. - Psalm 39:4–5

We Come And Go, God Is Forever:  All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. - Isaiah 40:6–8

Our Present Life Pail In Comparison To Our Eternal Hope In Jesus The Christ: Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:16–18