Stick to the Business You Know - No. 96. The Fisherman and His Flute - The Essential Aesop™ - Back to Basics Abridgment Series

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci (Adopted by Steve Jobs)

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A Fisherman took his flute to the bank of a river hoping to catch Fish by playing a melody.

And so he played. But, never did one Fish put a nose out of the water.

So, the Fisherman cast his net into the river, and, behold, soon drew it forth filled with jumping Fish.

“Oh, you capricious creatures! When I played you would not dance. Now that I have stopped playing, you dance,” said the Fisherman. “Yes,” replied an old Fish: “When you are in a man’s power, you must do as he requests.“

Moral of the Story: Stick to the business you know. Knowledge of rules of the game is its own type of power.

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Introduction – The Essential Aesop – Epilogue

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Why We Loved It: This fable has many variations over the centuries, and there are subtle distinctions in the respective lesson. The “Moral of the Story” above is an attempt to express a common denominator.

This fable takes us all the way back to our first fable, The North Wind and the Sun [1], giving us cause to reflect on that lesson. In that fable, we learned that persuasion (heat) was more effective than force (wind).

But we now acknowledge that, in The North Wind and the Sun fable, the Sun’s heat was more than persuasion, but it was actually mixed with a type of force.

We might say that the Sun persuaded the Man to take off his clothing, but, comparing and contrasting, we now we see that the Sun’s persuasion was more like carrying a big stick, or perhaps a few raps on the knuckles. The Sun used a type of power over the Man, by turning up the heat; therefore, it is better stated as a qualified persuasion.

This fable is a bit more pure on the fact of persuasion, with a different or corollary lesson. Here, the Fisherman’s songs are an attempt at persuasion, but without power. That is, “Can I attract Fish by the inspiration of a tune?” The Fisherman has no power over the Fish in this regard: the Fish can simply take it or leave it. And, with an option, they leave it.

On the issue of persuasion, something becomes obvious: indulgence is not effective. Here, the Fisherman wanted to play a song that the Fish were not attracted to hear. On American Idol, Simon Cowell [2] made the point again and again to contestants, “That was indulgent” he would say; that is, the contestant sang a song the contestant wanted to sing, but not what he wanted to hear. Thusly, the Fisherman used the wrong bait of attraction.

Where there is no power, the object must volunteer.

Clever Aesop casts against type because fishermen are supposed to know about bait, but not here. Silly Fisherman. His tune was misplaced, being the wrong bait.

When his flute did not work, he cast his net as usual, and, behold, the Fish danced in the net. Yet, the Fisherman still did not understand the cause and effect of persuasion, being taught the lesson by the old Fish:

If you want us to comply, where we wish not to volunteer, you must have power. We are not capricious; indeed, we are now dancing, but it does not follow that we volunteered.

If the Fisherman wanted to see the Fish dance, he needed to stick to the business he knew, applying the usual power he possessed: fishing with a net, applying rules of that game that tend to work.

The Fisherman hoped and desired that his flute playing would bait up the Fish to dance, but, alas, it was the net that did the captivating. [3, 4 , 5 , 6 , 7]

Even so, let us give the Fisherman some credit: His indulgent and self-interested hope notwithstanding, he did not lose his net in the fog of desire, such as our Lion in Love, who lost his teeth, his claws and his bride. [8 , 9]

“Dance with the one who brung ya.” ~ Darrell Royal

“A king who makes laws he cannot enforce is a fool.” Anon.

“Walk softly, and carry a big stick.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

“I have with me two gods, Persuasion and Compulsion.” ~ Themistocles

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[1] Persuasion and Force – Business of Aesop™ No. 1 – The North Wind and Sun. [#GRZ_1]

[2] I Never Promised to Love My Wife, or All About Oaths [#GRZ_39]

[3] Self-Power. Prayer, Hope and Luck. Or, Just Do It. – No. 77. Hercules and the Waggoner – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ_98_77]

[4] Self-Power. Prayer, Hope and Luck. Or, Just Do It. – No. 77. Hercules and the Waggoner – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ_98_77]

[5] Leadership, and Dealing in Hope [#GRZ_128]

[6] The Proseuché Ch. VIII (The Prayer of Socrates) [Prayer] [#GRZ_131]

[7] Hope, Prayer, Trust and Reliance Upon Luck; Or, the Ignoble Handouts Oft by Noble Emotions [#GRZ_137]