Hello there.
Thank you so much for joining me for this reading of another classic parable.
This one is an ancient Chinese Taoist story known as The Chinese Farmer or Good Luck,
Bad Luck.
Perhaps you're familiar with this story.
It is a simple tale about unexpected twists and turns and how ultimately labelling something as good or bad is just a value judgment.
Things are essentially empty of meaning.
Things that appear,
Perhaps,
To be fortunate can lead to trouble and vice versa.
Events that can seem unfortunate may have unexpected gifts.
We really can't see around that many curves in the path ahead of us.
There's so little that we can know when we're in the midst of something and where events might lead.
I also personally really appreciate the character of the farmer in this story and the way that he speaks.
So,
Before we get into the story here,
Let's just take a moment to have a nice,
Deep exhale.
Letting go of the day.
Letting go of whichever baggage we might be bringing along with us into this moment.
For right now,
There's nowhere else we have to go.
Nothing else we have to be doing.
So we can just relax.
Get ourselves comfortable and enjoy this ancient Taoist parable.
The Chinese farmer.
Or good luck,
Bad luck.
Once,
Near the frontier of ancient China,
There lived an old farmer with his son.
The farmer had one horse and he was skilled at working with it.
One day,
Quite unexpectedly,
The horse escaped.
It ran through the open gate and disappeared into the country,
Beyond the frontier.
The farmer's neighbours came to see him.
You've lost your horse,
They said.
What terrible luck!
The farmer looked out towards the hills.
Maybe.
The neighbours were puzzled.
How can this be anything but bad luck?
The farmer simply smiled.
Maybe.
We shall see.
A few months passed.
One day.
The horse returned.
And it did not return alone.
Behind it came several fine wild horses which had followed it all the way home.
The neighbours came running to see what had happened.
Your horse has come back Now you have all these beautiful horses as well!
" they said.
What wonderful luck!
The farmer.
Looked at the animals.
Maybe,
He said.
But surely this is good fortune!
Maybe,
The farmer replied.
We shall see.
The farmer's son was delighted with the new horses.
He loved to ride them.
And one day he was trying to tame one of the wild horses when.
.
.
The animal suddenly reared.
The boy was thrown to the ground and badly injured.
His leg was broken.
The neighbours came again.
Your only son has been injured,
They said.
What terrible luck!
The farmer sat beside his son.
He looked at the broken leg.
Maybe.
He said.
The neighbours were amazed!
How can you say MAYBE?
To this.
The farmer shrugged.
We shall see.
Not long afterwards.
War came to the region.
The men beyond the frontier invaded.
And soldiers went through the villages calling for young men to join the fighting.
One by one,
The able-bodied young men.
Were taken away.
The farmer's son.
Was not taken.
Because of his broken leg,
He could not go.
And so,
While many of the other young men went off to war,
The farmer's son remained at home.
The neighbours came to the farmer once more.
You were right,
They said.
Your son's broken leg?
Has saved him.
What wonderful luck!
The farmer looked at them.
Maybe,
He said.
The neighbours smiled.
Maybe one of them asked.
The farmer smiled too.
Maybe.
And that was how the old farmer lived.
He did not rush to call things good or bad.
When something unexpected happened.
He felt it,
Of course.
He was saddened when his horse disappeared.
He was pleased when it returned.
He was distressed when his son was injured.
He was relieved when his son was spared from the war.
But he knew.
That no one could see very far down the road.
Something that looks like a disaster.
May lead to something unexpected.
Something that looks like good fortune may bring difficulties with it.
And sometimes.
Often.
We simply cannot know.
So when something happens that we did not expect,
Perhaps we do not always need to decide immediately what it means.
We can say We shall see.
When something wonderful happens.
We can enjoy it.
Without having to believe that everything from now on will be wonderful.
We shall see.
When something painful happens.
We can acknowledge the pain without deciding that our whole story has suddenly become.
A tragedy.
Because life keeps unfolding.
The thing that looks like an ending may turn out to be a beginning.
The thing that seems like a wrong turn.
May lead somewhere we could never have imagined.
And the thing we think is exactly what we want.
Might in time.
Take us somewhere entirely different.
We rarely know the whole story,
Especially while we're still living in it.
So perhaps when life surprises us,
We can leave some room for the unknown.
Not,
This is good.
Nor this is bad,
Just this.
And then we can carry on and see what happens next.
