Fireside Fables: Good Luck Or Bad Luck? Who Knows

A short, powerful fireside fable about luck, loss, and how quickly we judge our lives. Through the story of an old farmer and his horse, you’ll be invited to question whether anything is truly “good” or “bad” in the moment. If you tend to overthink, catastrophise, or cling to outcomes, this offers a calmer, wiser perspective. A few minutes to reset how you see what’s happening right now.

Transcript

Thanks for joining me around this fire where we can talk and share ideas, Make yourself comfortable and get warm. Now there's a story I keep coming back to, An old Chinese story, Probably a few thousand years old and yet every time I tell it it feels like it was written for right now, For whatever you're carrying today. It comes from the Taoist tradition and it's about a farmer, A horse and the impossibility of knowing what anything really means. It's called Sai Wung Shee Ma which roughly translates as the old man who lost his horse. So if you're comfortable and you're ready, Let's begin. There was once an old farmer who lived near the northern border of China. One day his horse ran away. His neighbours came to offer their sympathy. Oh what terrible luck, They all said. The old man simply replied, Good luck, Bad luck, Who knows. A few days later the horse returned and it brought with it a whole herd of wild horses. The neighbours came back delighted. What wonderful luck, They all said. Good luck, Bad luck, Who knows, Said the old man. His son, Excited by the new horses, Tried to ride one of the wild ones. He was thrown off and broke his leg. The neighbours shook their heads. What terrible luck. But the farmer just said, Good luck, Bad luck, Who knows. Not long after, Soldiers came through the village conscripting all able bodied young men to fight in a war. Many of them never came home. But the farmer's son, With his broken leg, Was left behind. So you see, Good luck, Bad luck, Who knows. What I love about this story is that the old man never stops the will. He doesn't try to freeze a moment and call it final. He stays open. Not numb, Not detached, But genuinely, Quietly open to the possibility that this moment isn't the whole story. We often do the opposite almost constantly. Something goes wrong and we catastrophize. Something goes right and we cling to it, Terrified of losing it. We are mean in making machines and we make meaning fast, Often before we have anywhere near enough information. The Taoist idea here is called effortless non-resistance. It's not about giving up or not caring. It's about not adding your own struggle on top of life's natural movement. The farmer still farmed. He still loved his son. He just didn't waste himself on conclusions that hadn't been written yet. So next time something lands hard, A rejection, A loss, Maybe a plan falling apart, Try sitting with the question rather than the verdict. Good luck, Bad luck, Who knows? Because honestly, You don't. Not yet. If this landed for you, I actually have a course on Insight Timer called the Tao of effortless action. It goes much deeper into wu-wei and the art of moving through life with less resistance and more trust. I would love to see you there. In any case, I'll keep this fire burning until next time. Take care of yourself and I'll see you soon.