The Fortunes of Horses

Saturday, 20 June 2009.

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I ran across this story in the Huai Nan Tzu. Its text is more elegant than mine, so I'll simply reproduce it here:

A poor farmer’s horse ran off into the country of the barbarians. All the neighbors offered their condolences, but his father said, “How do you know that this isn’t good fortune?” After a few months the horse returned with a barbarian horse of excellent stock. All his neighbors offered their congratulations, but his father said, “How do you know that this isn’t a disaster?” The two horses bred, and the family became rich in fine horses. The farmer’s son spent much of his time riding them; one day he fell off and broke his hipbone. All his neighbors offered the farmer their condolences, but his father said, “How do you know that this isn’t good fortune?” Another year passed, and the barbarians invaded the frontier. All the able-bodied young men were conscripted, and nine-tenths of them died in the war. Thus good fortune can be disaster and vice versa. Who can tell how events will be transformed?

This closely mirrors Job’s outlook on life:

Naked was I born,
and naked shall I die.
God has given, and God has taken away.
…
Why should I accept good from God,
and not also accept adversity?

Lao-Tzu said it this way:

What does it mean that hope is as hollow as fear?
Hope and fear are both phantoms
that arise from thinking of the self.
When we don’t see the self as self,
what do we have to fear?

When you have nothing to lose, you have nothing to fear, and when you have nothing more to gain, you have nothing to hope for. So, when you are truly content with what life brings to you, there can be no duress: you are free to accept what comes your way, and you are free to act compassionately.