You Can Never Be Sure What The Future Holds
A farmer had one horse. One day, his horse ran away.
All the neighbours came by to express their sorrow at the farmer's situation. The farmer uttered two words:
"We'll see."
A few days later, his horse came back with 20 wild horses. The man and his son corralled all 21 horses. His neighbours came by to congratulate him on his good fortune. The farmer said the following:
"We'll see."
One of the horses kicked the farmer's son and broke both his legs. All the neighbours came to express their sympathy. The farmer replied:
"We'll see."
The country went to war and every able-bodied young man was drafted. The war was brutal and almost every young man was killed. The farmer's son was spared this fate since his legs were broken.
All the farmer's neighbours came by to express how relieved the farmer must be. All he said was:
"We'll see."
The moral of this story is simple, what appears fortuitous can turn into misfortune, what appears unfortunate can become a blessing.
A life spent dealing in absolutes will resemble a rollercoaster. Veering up and down without ever finding an equilibrium.
If you overreact to every situation you'll never find peace. You're beholden to your emotions, a hostage to circumstance. To remain humble in triumph and despair is the sign of a clear mind.
The farmer understands something we don't, time is the ultimate judge.
Wow, amazing article Tom, thank you for writing it and for sharing it. "Time is the ultimate judge." - so poignant, and wise. Something so simple yet it speaks volumes.