The consequence of the misfortune: Alan Watts

Today I want to share this informative parable I heard from Alan Watts about a Chinese farmer, as it offers a different perspective about the consequence of when good and bad things happen to us

Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer who lost a horse,

That evening, all of his neighbors came around and said.

“That’s too.”

And he said,

“Maybe…”

The next day the horse came back and brought seven wild horses with it, and all the neighbours came around and said,

“That’s great. isn’t it?”

And he said,

“Maybe…”

The following day his son tried to break one of the horses, and while riding it, he was thrown and broke his leg. And all the neighbours came round in the evening and said,

“Well that’s too bad, isn’t it?”

And the farmer said,

“Maybe…”

The next day the conscription officers came around looking for people for the army, and they rejected his son because he had a broken leg.

And all the neighbours came round that evening and said

“Isn’t that wonderful!”

And he said,

“Maybe…”

Transcript based on a parable told by Alan Watts

The choices we make can lead to good or bad things – or as Watts explains with the parable:

“The whole process of nature is an integrated process of immense complexity, and it’s really impossible to tell whether anything that happens in it is good or bad because you never know what will be the consequence of the misfortune; or, you never know what will be the consequences of good fortune.”

Alan Watts

Think about bad things that have happened to you? What good came out of it?

Example: having a partner leave you for someone else, resulting in you learning to move on with your life until you started a new, better, relationship.

Think about good things that have happened to you? What bad came out of it?

Example: achieving a promotion and finding the role isn’t for you, until the pressure of responsibility makes you quit.

Life is an endless cycle of good and bad, in many cases this is how we choose to perceive it.

Find opportunity from failure, move on.