The Old Man and His Horse

This is a beautiful story told to remind us that things arent always what they appear to be. Life is made up of fragments, moments in time. We need to be open to the flow of life, trusting that everything happens for a reason. It's not for us to reason why but merely to accept what is. Please relax and enjoy our time together.

Transcript

Hello,

My name is Nicole Carpin-Pavass and today I'd like to share a story with you.

It's actually a very well-known Chinese parable called The Old Man and His Horse.

And I love the story because it teaches us that whatever happens in life just happens.

And sometimes what seems like a misfortune can turn into something positive if we are open to the acceptance and flow of life and that we don't become prone to judgment and condemnation.

Seeing things for what they are,

Knowing a full picture before making judgment.

And with that,

Let's begin.

Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village.

And although he was poor,

He was envied by all because he owed a very beautiful white horse.

Even the king coveted his treasure.

A horse like this had never been seen before.

Such was its splendor,

Its majesty and its strength.

People offered fabulous prizes for the steed,

But the old man always refused.

This horse is not a horse to me,

He would tell them.

It's a person.

How could you sell a person?

He's a friend,

Not a possession.

Would you sell a friend?

Yes,

The man was poor and the temptation was great,

But he never sold the horse.

One morning he woke up and he found that the horse was not in his stable.

All the village came to see him.

Ha,

You old fool!

They scoffed.

We told you that someone would steal your horse.

We warned you that you'd be robbed.

You're so poor.

How could you think you could ever have protected such a valuable animal?

You know what?

It would have been better if you had sold him.

You could have gotten whatever price you wanted.

No amount would have been too high.

But now the horse is gone and you've been cursed with even more misfortune.

Hmm,

The old man responded.

Please don't speak too quickly.

All I know is that the stable is empty.

And all I know is that the horse isn't in the stable.

The rest is judgment.

All I can see is a fragment.

How can you know if I've been cursed?

The village people laughed.

They thought the old man was crazy.

They'd always thought he was a fool.

Because if he wasn't a fool,

He would have sold that horse and lived off the money.

But instead,

He was a poor woodcutter,

An old man still cutting firewood and dragging it out of the forest and selling it.

He lived hand to mouth in the misery of poverty.

And now he had proven that he was indeed a fool.

After 15 days,

The horse returned.

It hadn't been stolen.

He had merely run away into the forest.

And not only did it return,

It brought with it a dozen wild horses.

Once again,

The village people gathered around the woodcutter and they spoke to him.

Old man,

You were right.

And we were wrong.

What we thought was a curse was actually a blessing.

Please forgive us.

The man responded.

Once again,

I think you go too far.

All I know is that the horse is back.

And all I know is that a dozen horses returned with the horse.

But don't judge.

How do you know if this is a blessing or not?

You only see a fragment.

And unless you know the whole story,

How can you judge?

If you read one page of a book,

Can you judge the whole book?

If you read only one word of a phrase,

Can you understand the entire phrase?

All you have is one fragment.

Please don't say that this is a blessing.

No one knows.

I am content with what I know.

I am not perturbed with what I don't.

Hmm.

Maybe the old man is right.

They said to one another.

So they didn't say much.

But deep down,

Oh,

They knew he was wrong.

They knew it was a blessing.

Twelve wild horses had returned.

With a little work,

Those horses could be broken and trained and sold for so much money.

The old man had a son,

An only son.

And the young man began to break the wild horses.

After only a few days,

Though,

He fell from one of the horses and he broke both his legs.

Once again,

The villagers gathered around the old man and they cast their judgments.

You were right,

They said.

You approved you were right.

The horses were not a blessing.

They were a curse.

A dozen curses.

Your only son has broken both his legs.

And now in your old age,

You have no one to help you.

Oh,

My Lord.

Now you are poorer than ever.

The old man spoke again.

You are all so obsessed with judging.

Please don't go so far.

All you can say is that my son broke his legs.

Who knows if it's a blessing or a curse?

No one knows.

We only have a fragment.

Life comes in fragments.

And it so happened that a few weeks later,

The country engaged in war against a neighboring country.

All the young men of the village were required to join the army.

It was only the son of the old man who was excluded because he was injured as he had two broken legs.

Once again,

The people gathered around the old man,

Crying,

Screaming and wailing because their sons had been taken.

There was little chance that they would return.

The enemy was strong and the war would be a losing struggle.

Possibly or probably they would never see their sons again.

You were right,

Old man,

They wept.

God knows you were right.

This proves it.

Your son's accident.

Oh,

It was a blessing.

His legs may be broken,

But at least he's with you.

Our sons are gone forever.

And once again,

The old man spoke.

It truly is impossible to talk to you.

You always draw conclusions.

No one knows.

All I know is that your sons have gone to war and mine has not.

No one knows if it's a blessing or a curse.

No one is wise enough to know that.

And with that,

I'll leave it be.

I love the story and I love the lesson of the story.

In life,

Don't you find that we are always so quick to judge?

We walk into a situation and with our own perception of our own reality,

We usually think that that's the truth.

Usually we're not correct.

You see,

Perception is deception.

We should never judge a story by the chapter that you walk in on.

When you catch yourself in the next couple of days or weeks or months or next few moments,

If you catch yourself starting to judge or condemn,

Please remember the story.

Let it be a reminder.

Unless we have the whole story,

You really don't know.

And it's not for us to judge.

If we can accept things for what they are or just as they appear to be,

Life would be so much easier.

We live life with expectations and usually we just don't accept things for what they are.

But perhaps if we can let go and go with the flow and trust that things will always work out,

If we just allow them to be the way they need to be,

Perhaps life would be easier.

The flow would be easier.

Just being,

Letting go,

No judgment.

And with that,

Stay blessed,

Stay pure and be one with life.

Namaste.

Reviews

Boy…..did I need to hear that story!
Thank you for sharing.

Beautifully read. Namaste 🙏

Great story and excellent moral. Thank you for sharing it.
Namaste 🙏 ❤️

Love this story. But it goes on, right? The soldiers come to the village but the son can't be pressed into service because his legs are broken.

I have heard this story so many times and love it. The way that you told the story and your words surrounding the story, was just perfect. It was exactly what I needed to hear today. Namaste

Such a valuable story and a life lesson thank you namaste

Exactly what I need. Thank you.

Ever since i first heard this story it has become a great reminder about making judgments. 'Maybe...'. Thank you for sharing it here 🙏😊🧡

fantastisch verhaal.
dank u voor het delen

I love this story and I try to remind myself of the old man's response to situations.

Thank you for the sweet telling of this story. So much of our suffering comes from assumptions when all we really know is what's right in front of us. We can't know the future and this causes us a lot of anxiety. So then practicing letting go of what we really can't know takes a tremendous amount of trust in the universe and willingness to allow ourselves to be vulnerable. It is the best work though because this is the path to freedom from suffering. Freedom from suffering is where we will find a life of joy. ☮

Love this story Thanku for sharing 💖

Great timeless wisdom that is absolutely true, Great story, it makes as a great meditation piece!

Loved the story. Will make me think the next time I am quick to judge.

Love this! Thank you!

Beautiful story and such truth in the words. Thank you. Namaste x

Beautiful story and very well spoken, there’s a lesson to be learned from this thank you 💕🙏✨🦋☘️

So enjoyed this story
Wise words to open our minds and hearts
Thank you 🙏🏻

Great story and lesson

A wonderful story and reminder for living- thank you 🙏🏽