The China Farmer
Once upon a time, there was a farmer in the central region of China. He didn't
have a lot of money and, instead of a tractor, he used an old horse to plow his
field.
One afternoon, while working in the field, the horse dropped dead. Everyone in
the village said, "Oh, what a horrible thing to happen." The farmer said simply,
"We'll see." He was so at peace and so calm, that everyone in the village got
together and, admiring his attitude, gave him a new horse as a gift.
Everyone's reaction now was, "What a lucky man." And the farmer said, "We'll
see."
A couple days later, the new horse jumped a fence and ran away. Everyone in the
village shook their heads and said, "What a poor fellow!"
The farmer smiled and said, "We'll see."
Eventually, the horse found his way home, and everyone again said, "What a
fortunate man."
The farmer said, "We'll see."
Later in the year, the farmer's young boy went out riding on the horse and fell
and broke his leg. Everyone in the village said, "What a shame for the poor
boy."
The farmer said, "We'll see."
Two days later, the army came into the village to draft new recruits. When they
saw that the farmer's son had a broken leg, they decided not to recruit him.
Everyone said, "What a fortunate young man."
The farmer smiled again - and said "We'll see."
Moral of the story: There's no use in overreacting to the events and
circumstances of our everyday lives. Many times what looks like a setback, may
actually be a gift in disguise. And when our hearts are in the right place, all
events and circumstances are gifts that we can learn valuable lessons from.
As Fra Giovanni once said:
"Everything we call a trial, a sorrow, or a duty, believe me... the gift is
there and the wonder of an overshadowing presence."
