This old tale about a farmer captures the essence of life

A short story that perfectly encapsulates what life is all about

There’s an ancient Chinese tale that I’ve come across many times in various articles, books, and online talks.

Here’s how it goes -

There once was a farmer who lived with his son in a small village on the outskirts of the city.

They had a horse that they relied on for most of their activities.

One night, somehow the horse got freed and ran away into the nearby jungle.

When the villagers heard about it, they came to sympathize with the farmer.

“Oh, that’s too bad,” they said.

The farmer replied, “Good or bad, hard to say.”

A few days later, the horse returned and brought with him 7 wild horses. When the villagers came to know about it, they said, “Oh, that’s so good. You are so lucky.”

The farmer again replied, “Good or bad, hard to say.”

The next day, the farmer’s son chose to ride a wild horse. But he fell off the horse and broke his leg.

On hearing about it, the villagers said, “Oh, that’s too bad. What terrible luck.”

The farmer shrugged and repeated the same thing, “Good or bad, hard to say.”

In the next few days, war broke out with the neighboring country. So, the king sent his officers to nearby villages to find young people to recruit for his army.

When they reached the farmer’s house, they found out that his son had a broken leg, and thus he was of no use in the army.

The villagers heard about it and said to the farmer, “Oh, that’s so good. What great luck!” The farmer replied, “Good or bad, hard to say.”

This short story beautifully encapsulates what life is all about. We are quick to put labels on things that happen to us. Either it’s a bad experience or a good experience.

But life’s not good or bad. It’s just life.

Think about your own experiences. There must have been so many instances where a bad experience eventually led to good things.

So, try to accept life as it happens.

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