The farmer's parable is a Chinese story that we should all read before something bad happens
Unfortunately, misfortunes can happen during life's journey. But you can never know whether a misfortune can turn into something positive, even lucky.
Every event, whether positive or negative, causes consequences that are not always equally good or bad.
This Chinese parable teaches us that we must always wait and let the events of life unfold to determine if what has happened, is really a misfortune or a stroke of luck.
Therefore, we need to learn to refrain from anticipating a verdict even when everything seems to be falling apart around us.
One day the son of a farmer, who had only one horse, allowed it to accidentally escape from its enclosure. When the neighbors heard about what had happened, they went to the old man's house to show him solidarity: "This is really a misfortune, now how will you manage without a horse to help you with the farm work?!", "It's certainly bad luck!'. But the farmer, without batting an eye, always replied: "Yes, perhaps, it is bad luck."
The next day, the horse that had escaped came back into the enclosure along with seven other horses that followed it from the forest. The farmer thus became the richest man in the village, and all the inhabitants came to him to congratulate him: "What luck you have! It's a miracle!" The farmer replied every time: "Perhaps."
The next day, the son broke his leg while trying to tame one of the wild horses. Winter was at the door and the farmer alone by himself would not be able to take care of the fields. The neighbors went to see the injured young man and consoled his father with words of sorrow: "It's a terrible thing that has happened to you!" The farmer replied, "Perhaps."
The next day the army arrived to recruit healthy young men to fight a war that was impossible to win. But the farmer's son was not taken because he was bedridden due to his broken leg. All the neighbors returned to the old man's house: "What luck you have had! Our sons have all left for the war, while yours no!" Again, the farmer said nothing more than "Perhaps".
This story teaches us a moral that we often forget when something unpleasant happens to us.
For every event, no matter how bad it may be, it can never be said that there cannot be some positive consequences. It will be only the events of life themselves that can clarify our ideas about the nature of what at the moment appears to be only a misfortune.
Many times it has happened that an unfavorable episode has turned into something positive. It is up to us not to succumb to the negativity of the moment, but to leave a glimmer of hope that things can evolve in a completely different way.
The best attitude that can be adopted when something bad happens is to wait, without drawing hasty conclusions. The consequences of situations are unpredictable and can surprise us. This does not mean not to cry or not to suffer, but this vision of life makes facing pain and misfortune more bearable.
Did you already know this Chinese parable? Share it with those who need to change their attitude concerning the unpredictable events of life!
