Horse Thief
A sage was traveling on a country road by horseback. Hiding in a bush along the road was a thief armed with a bow and arrows.
When the sage came to the thief’s bush, the thief jumped out of the bush, aiming his bow and an arrow at the sage.
Without concern or care, the sage got off his horse and surrendered his horse to the thief. The sage then continued to walk down the country road as if nothing had occurred.
This confused the thief so much so that the thief unthreateningly approached the sage and asked, “How come you seem not to care that I took your horse?”
The sage answered, “I would have lost my horse one day anyway; perhaps someone else would have stolen it, maybe it would have eventually runaway, and even if it stayed with me the rest of its day, it will certainly die on its last day.”
