Episode 106, Four Thousand Weeks (Part I - Time)

<p class=""><strong>Introduction</strong></p> <blockquote> <p class="">Enjoying a holiday in a small coastal village, a New York banker finds herself walking along a tranquil pier when she comes across a fisherman in a small, wooden boat. Inside the boat she spotted several rainbow-coloured fish. 'Congratulations on a fine score. How long did it take you to catch them?'</p> <p class="">'Only a little while,' the fisherman replied. 'That's great,' said the banker, 'so, why don't you stay out longer and catch a few more?' The fisherman explained that he only caught what he needed to put fish on the table and a roof over his family's heads. 'But', the puzzled banker enquired, 'what do you do with the rest of your time?' The fisherman smiled: 'I sleep in late, I read books, I go dancing with my wife, and I write jokes about Adam Sandler.'</p> <p class="">The banker scoffed, 'You know, I could offer you my assistance with your fishing business.' The fisherman raised his eyebrows. 'If you spent more time fishing, you could sell more fish and buy a bigger boat. You'd catch more fish, buy more boats, and soon enough you could buy a fleet! Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor, and eventually open a cannery.' The fisherman paused for a moment… 'Right, but how long will this all take?' The banker replied: 'Ten to fifteen years?' </p> <p class="">'But what then?' asked the fisherman. The banker looked confused, 'Then you could enjoy some time off: sleep in late, read books, go dancing with your wife, and write jokes about Adam Sandler.'</p> <p class="">The fisherman smiled, 'I suggest you stick around for a while. Have you been fishing before? Ha! Why don't you climb aboard?'</p> </blockquote> <div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" id="block-4a38f490ae585a0e1932"> <div class="sqs-block-content"> <p class=""><strong>Contents</strong></p> <p class="">Part I. Time</p> <p class="">Part II. How to Use It</p> <p class="">Part III. Further Analysis and Discussion</p> </div> </div> <div class="sqs-block horizontalrule-block sqs-block-horizontalrule" id="block-289ba49959efa1de7416"> <div class="sqs-block-content"> </div> </div> <div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" id="block-c5922751d9448d1b345d"> <div class="sqs-block-content"> <p class=""><strong>Links</strong></p> <p class=""><a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1111522/four-thousand-weeks/9781473564954.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Oliver Burkeman, <em>Four Thousand Weeks</em>.</a></p> <p class=""><a href="https://libcom.org/files/Bertrand%20Russell%20-%20In%20Praise%20of%20Idleness.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Bertrand Russell, <em>In Praise of Idleness</em>.</a></p> <p class=""><a href="https://tripinsurancestore.com/4/on-the-shortness-of-life.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Seneca, <em>On the Shortness of Life.</em></a></p> </div> </div>