The Old Man Lost His Horse
Once upon a time, there was a Chinese farmer who lost his horse. The horse ran away. Neighbors told him that it was unfortunate. But the farmer said, “You never know.”
The next day, the horse returned, brought other horses together. Neighbors told the farmer that he was lucky. He said, “You never know.”
One day, the farmer’s son was flung from a galloping horse and broke his leg. Again, neighbors told the farmer that it was unfortunate. He said, “You never know.”
A month later, conscription offices came along looking for people for their army, but they did not take the farmer’s son because he had a broken leg. Neighbors came along and told the farmer that he was lucky. And he said, “You never know.”[1].
We never know what’s good or bad. This is because it all depends on what comes after. The events or the situations are neutral. When nothing is good or bad, it’s all up to us how we look at it.
[1] Originally from Taoist Farmer written in Huainanzi. I made it short in a way that it still encapsulates the essence.