The Samurai And The Fisherman: A Wonderful Story

The Samurai and the Fisherman  is a wonderful story that contains a surprising lesson. It is set in ancient Japan. There lived a samurai who was known for his generosity, especially among poor people.

One day this samurai was given a mission to work in a nearby village. When he had finished his work and was about to go home, the samurai saw a fisherman who looked very sad. It even seemed that the fisherman was crying. The samurai then decided to go to the fisherman and ask him what had happened.

“Anger is a wind that blows out the lamp of the spirit.”

Robert G. Ingersoll

The fisherman told the samurai that he was going to lose his boat because he owed money to a local shopkeeper. Having no funds to pay off the shopkeeper, the moneylender had decided to keep the fisherman’s small boat as a guarantee. But if the fisherman lost his boat, he would no longer be able to pursue his job and his family would starve.

The samurai listened carefully. His noble heart was touched by the story. So he took money out of his pocket and gave it to the fisherman. The samurai said, “This is not a gift.” The samurai did not believe in giving things away as, in his opinion, it promoted laziness. “It’s a loan. In a year I will come back and you will give me the money back. I will not charge you any interest. “

The fisherman couldn’t believe it. He promised the samurai that he would do everything possible to repay the money, and he thanked him from the bottom of his heart for the gesture. The story, however, had only just begun.

The return of the samurai

After a year the samurai returned to the village. He firmly believed that the fisherman would pay him back the money he borrowed. The samurai was also happy to see the fisherman again. He hoped that the fisherman had improved his living conditions. But at this point the story of the samurai and the fisherman takes an unexpected turn.

When the samurai came to the place where he had met the fisherman a year ago, he did not find him. He asked the other villagers if they had seen the fisherman, but they couldn’t help the samurai. At last the samurai found a villager who could tell him where the fisherman lived. The samurai immediately set off.

When he arrived, the samurai could only find the fisherman’s wife and children. They swore to him that they had no idea where the debtor was. However, the samurai realized that they were lying. The fisherman probably hid in order not to repay his debts. But the story of the samurai and the fisherman does not end here either.

The unexpected happens

The samurai got very angry. He thought that his generosity had been taken advantage of. Deceiving him like that was unacceptable. So he looked for the fisherman everywhere, in every possible place he could think of. Eventually the samurai found the man next to a cliff where he was hiding.

When the fisherman saw the samurai, he was frightened. The debtor struggled to find out that the fishing season had been bad and that he had no money to pay off the samurai. “Ingrateful,”   shouted the samurai. “I helped you when you needed it most! And so you decide to repay me? ”  The fisherman was speechless. The samurai got so angry that he reached for his saber to punish the fisherman.

“I’m sorry,”   called the fisherman. “When your hand goes up, exercise control; when your temper fades, control your hand. ” The samurai stopped moving. This humble man was right. His anger began to dissipate. Instead, the fisherman and samurai agreed that the fisherman would repay the debt in another year.

The moral of the story The samurai and the fisherman

When the samurai got home he was still lost in thought and his thoughts revolved around the fisherman. Then he saw that there still seemed to be light coming from his bedroom. That was strange. It was very late. Slowly and carefully he went to the bed in which his wife was lying. He realized she wasn’t alone. Carefully he came closer and saw that another samurai seemed to be lying next to his wife.

He immediately picked up his saber. He secretly crept to the bed to take revenge when he suddenly remembered the fisherman’s words: “ When your hand goes up, exercise control; when your temper wanes, control your hand. ”   Instead of striking with the saber, the samurai took a deep breath and left the room. From outside he only called: “I’m back!”

His wife quickly came out of the room to greet him effusively. The samurai’s mother also appeared behind her. “Look who’s here!”   Said the samurai’s wife. The wife had been afraid of being home alone, so she had asked her mother-in-law to keep her company. The samurai’s mother had put on her son’s clothes to impress in case someone should break in. If a thief saw her, he should think that the mother was a samurai and that it would be better to leave without having achieved anything.

The story of the samurai and the fisherman ended a year later. The samurai visited the fishing village again. The fisherman was waiting for him. He was able to give the samurai back the money plus interest since it had been a good year for him. The samurai hugged him. “Keep the money,” he  said. “You do not owe me anything. I am the one in debt to you. “