The fisherman travels with little. With apparent ease, his focus remains on doing his job well, ignoring the fear that haunts tomorrow. There is little in his life that you or I would consider valuable. His boat is owned by the village cooperative. His kids attend the only local school in 15 miles. There is no doctor or medical facility within the area of the school. While his source of income disappears for two months of the year during the government enforced fishing break, the four members of his family lives on ten kilos of rice.
The fisherman carries things of eternal value. Using the training of his father and grandfather, he negotiates the sea with an ease belying the danger that always lurks. Catching fish with poison on the tip of their fins is merely a footnote in the day's activity. The peace that gathers around his Hindu and Islamic neighbors is a testament to his understanding of Christian beliefs and the church family he shares. Doing what he can, letting go of what remains, and working hard is all that he knows in life.
I am sure that it is not as simple as it appears on the surface. I am sure disagreements can and do happen. There are days when he believes his job helping the local hotel entertain guests through fishing trips is at risk. However, this is not what dictates or drives his behavior, at least externally.
“The rich can be sued for everything they have, but the poor are free of such threats.” (Proverbs 13.8)
You and I are rich in his eyes. The idea of food to eat for our meals is not automatic in his life. The concept that we can watch television on a whim is a luxury beyond belief. Picking up prescriptions in response to a Doctor's visit is something that he can only imagine, never experience. Traveling by plane will happen only if he will see it in his mind.
Long after the fishing is ended, I wonder who is responding to what is important.
