Bad and good are intertwined like a rope.
Japanese Proverb
During the Warring States period in China, a farmer lived with his only son, with whom he depended on to help do the farm work. They had only one horse, which they loved, and which was vital to help with their farming.
One day the horse ran away and the farmer complained to the village elder that he didn’t know how he was going to survive without his trusted horse. “What terrible luck this is,” he exclaimed.
The elder replied, “Maybe, maybe not. We will see.”
This angered the farmer, but he held his tongue and returned home, thinking the elder must be losing his senses.
A few days later, the farmer’s horse returned, leading a wild mare back to the farm. The farmer was delighted at his good luck, and exclaimed to the village elder, “My luck has changed! What a blessing this is!”
Again, the village elder simply replied, “Maybe, maybe not. We will see.”
Later that week, the farmer’s son was trying to break the mare so it could be used in the fields. Suddenly the horse bucked, throwing the son to the ground and breaking his leg. Again, the farmer complained to the village elder, “This is terrible luck! I cannot tend to the fields myself, and this is my only son. I am ruined!”
The wise elder again seemed unmoved, and stated, “Maybe, maybe not. We will see.”
This time the farmer had had enough. He lost his temper and yelled at the elder, “What do you mean maybe? My son’s leg is broken. My farm will be lost! This is the worst thing that could have happened to us and you act as if it is nothing at all!”
The elder remained calm and unmoved. “Don’t give up hope my friend; none of us can see the future. Everything happens as it should.”
Three weeks later, the army from the farmer’s province marched through the town, forcing every able-bodied young man to join the army and to march into battle. The farmer’s son was not taken because of his broken leg.
The other people in the village were excited that their sons would return heroes, and exclaimed to the farmer, “It is bad luck that your son could not go to war and return a hero as well.”
The farmer started to feel disgraced, but then recalled the lesson that the village elder had been trying to teach him, and replied, “Maybe, maybe not. We will see.”
Two weeks later, word came to the village that the entire army was defeated in an epic battle. Not one of the young men from the village had survived. The farmer’s son was the only boy of age from the village that survived this tragedy.
