# The Chinese Farmer - Maybe So, Maybe Not ![[Chinese [email protected]]] #parables Here's a lovely little story that reveals something interesting about life... > A farmer and his son had a beloved horse who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbours exclaimed, “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.” > > A few days later, the horse returned home, leading a few wild horses back to the farm as well. The neighbours shouted out, “Your horse has returned, and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.” > > Later that week, the farmer’s son was trying to break one of the horses and she threw him to the ground, breaking his leg. The neighbours cried, “Your son broke his leg, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.” > > A few weeks later, soldiers from the national army marched through town, recruiting all boys for the army. They did not take the farmer’s son, because he had a broken leg. The neighbours shouted, “Your boy is spared, what tremendous luck!” To which the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.” This little story reveals a deep truth about life that most people never realise - that it is impossible to really tell whether anything that happens is good or bad. In fact it could well be true that "everything that is bad is good" (a favourite saying of mine since I recognised this truth in my own life). Things may look great at the start, but over time it may not become what you had imagined it to be. Similarly, you feel bad about something but some day it could be one of the best things that happened to you. Here's the teaching ... Everything changes. The universe is ever changing. There is no room for judgement, for nothing is truly black and white. Nothing is good or bad...it just is. > “ Trust that the universe is unfolding as it should. ” – Max Ehrmann Watch life unfolding before you and, over time, if you pay attention, you will see it to be true. And it will change you. --- dateCreated: 2023-10-22, 14:07 dateModified: 2023-10-22, 14:20