The Farmer and His Horse
There is an old farmer who had an old horse or tilling his fields. One day the horse escaped into the hills and when all the farmer’s neigbohrs sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, “Bad Luck? Good luck? Who knows?”
A week later the horse returned with a herd of wild horses from the hills and this time the neigbohrs congratulated the farmer on his good luck. Then, when the farmer’s son was attempted to tame one of the wild horse, he fell off and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. not the farmer, whose only reaction was, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”
Some weeks later the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer’s son with his broken leg they let him off. Now was that good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?