The Parable of the Old Fisherman

An old fisherman sat on the pier, weathered by time, as if he had grown together with that place. He sat there so long that when they asked him how the catch was, he gave a bitter smile and shrugged. Because he did not understand the question. He had sat there for a long time not for the catch, but because he was firmly bound to that place by many years of friendship.

What are you talking about?

This parable is short and simple. It will show the way to those who have despaired of searching, to those whose thoughts are bogged down in their own inner rebellion, in disorder. You often look for some gain and forget where you get it all from.

This parable is not about the pier where the fisherman fished.

This parable is about the fact that anyone who loves and knows themselves, anyone who calls to themselves with understanding, will always hear the quiet waters of the inner harbor. These are the waters that serve you as refuge, consolation, and peace. It is not something unseen beyond the horizon, but something visible and tangible within you, like that unbreakable word of fidelity and honor given to yourself. When you look at yourself this way—sincerely, purely, selflessly, without expecting or hurrying, but passionately exploring yourself and trusting yourself—you will understand that you are there not for gain, not for the catch, but in order to test your weakness and cultivate your strength.

There is an integral part of you in this and it is a necessary path. Do not demand or expect that catch from yourself and do not worry that someone will demand an accounting of your own life from you. What matters is what you feel inside. Your inner calm is calm because it will not tolerate encroachments from outside. Therefore, at the right moment, when someone approaches you irritably, you will understand that this is merely a point of capture for your attention, a point on which you can lean in order to understand the rightness of the path you have chosen. It is not an obstacle at all, but an opportunity to see the way, even when the one who disturbed you is yourself.

If you feel inner tension and irritation from someone, smile inwardly, close your eyes, smile into that silence and serenity that you are, into those quiet waters that you sense and fill yourself with, wholly immersing yourself in the very essence of your true purpose.
So be it. 🙏