My Spaceless and Timeless World...

If you ever need a mind-cleansing or a get-away from the chaos around you, come to Death Valley.  I just spent the past 3 days here, and once again, it felt great!!!  Remember I told you last time that my hotel room did not have a TV or Internet or cell signals?  I paid special attention this time, it does not have a clock either.  So, once you are in Death Valley, you are in a spaceless and timeless world filled with massive nothingness!  And yet, there are so many special features of Death Valley that you would never find anywhere else in the world.

When I checked into the hotel, I asked the receptionist: "What's wrong with your phone line?  I've been trying to call you guys over the past week to confirm my hotel reservation and it couldn't get through..."  The receptionist replied: "Well, AT&T forgot that we are here, so they cut off the phone lines.  We didn't know that we were cut off until one of our customers came here and told us."  "Wow, so how do you communicate with the outside world??"  "We DON'T!!!"

This simple reply reminded me of the story below.  True, when you think about it, why do they NEED to communicate with the outside world if they can live a perfectly peaceful life with nothingness??

An American investment banker 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 it took to catch them.   

The Mexican replied, "only a little while." The American then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his 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 siestas 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." 

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard 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 New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise."   

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"  To which the American replied, "15 - 20 years."  "But what then?" Asked the Mexican.  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 - 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 siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."