Itโs hard to see bad luck as an opportunity. But the more we wallow in our misfortune, the easier it is to stay mired in misery and to feel helpless.
The truth is, all situations are what we make of them. And sometimes itโs best to detach yourself from events altogether and let the universe do its work.
In the parable below, a farmer decides not to react to situations or to think of them as inherently โgoodโ or โbad.โ
Itโs an ancient Chinese Taoist story. Taoism is a philosophy that focuses on simplicity, compassion, and โgoing with the flow.โ
Take a look at the video below (or the story beneath it) and think about whether or not the farmer led a more peaceful life for never judging what happened to him.
Read on for the text of the story.
Thereโs a poor, humble farmer who owns a single horse, which he depended on for important work.
One day, the horse disappears, leaving the farmer unable to do most of his work.
Later that evening, a neighbor came over and said, โIโm so sorry to hear about your horse. You must be devastated.โ
The farmer replied, โI donโt know if itโs good or bad โ weโll see.โ
The neighbor was confused. He thought, โHow could this be anything other than a tragedy?โ
The next day, the farmerโs horse returned home, bringing with it 6 wild horses. As a result, the farmer finished his work with ease.
In the evening, the same neighbor came and said, โYou have such good luck. Now you can do your work and more!โ
And the farmer said, โMaybe. Weโll see.โ
Again, the neighbor was confused. He thought, โHow could this be anything but great news?โ
The day after, the farmerโs son tried to tame and ride one of the wild horses.
The horse throws the son off, breaking his leg.
In the evening, the same neighbor came over and said, โIโm so sorry to hear about your sonโs accident, this is terrible.โ
The farmer said, โMaybe โ weโll see.โ
The neighbor was beginning to think that the farmer was insane.
A few weeks later, the army comes by the town to draft able-bodied young men for the ongoing war. Because the farmerโs son was recovering from a broken leg, he was not drafted.
In the evening, the neighbor came over and said, โYour family is so lucky! Your son was able to avoid the draft.โ
And the farmer said, โMaybe โ weโll see.โ
***
The origins of this story trace back to an ancient Chinese essay collection, the Huainanzi, during the Han Dynasty.
The moral of the story is that no occurrences are truly good or bad. Instead, we assign our own meaning to these events, and these meanings dictate how we experience the world and view our lives. Most likely, you wonโt ever see all the consequences of every event, good or bad. Even if you could, the immediate short-term emotions you feel will give bias and blur the picture.
The good news is that youโve already taken the first step to taking it all in stride: awareness.
What do you think about this approach to life?
Weโre not typically taught to detach ourselves from situations. Instead, weโre encouraged to be the masters of our own destiny by working hard to set ourselves up for success.
But the truth is, we can work hard and do everything โrightโ and still experience misfortune. So is it better to just go with the flow and not get hung up on whether situations are โgoodโ or โbadโ?
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
