The Story of the Farmer and Perhaps ...

How Bad Luck Becomes a Blessing – Perhaps

Once upon the time there was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbours came to visit. "Such bad luck," they said sympathetically.

"Perhaps." the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "What great luck!" the neighbours exclaimed.

"Perhaps." replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbours again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

"Perhaps." answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbours congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.

"Perhaps." said the farmer...

And the Moral of the Story

While we should certainly celebrate when things go well we should not get carried away. Simultaneously, when bad things happen we should not lose our cool.

Life is not only a series of ups and downs but also, in the fullness of time some "bad luck" may turn out to be "good luck."

Experience teaches us that it pays to have a sense of equanimity throughout both life's good and bad times. And that I life is not a collection of discrete occurrences or events but that everything we do is linked together; our lives are a series of interconnected days.