The Old Farmer's Philosophy on Luck In a remote Chinese village, an old farmer lived alone while his son studied far away. Despite the villagers' sympathy for his solitude and hard work, he always responded to their concerns with "bad luck or good luck, who knows." When his son returned home unexpectedly, they celebrated what seemed like good fortune. However, when their horse ran away due to carelessness but later returned with another wild horse in tow—a mix of misfortune and blessing—the farmer maintained the same perspective.
Life’s Unpredictable Turns: Lessons from Misfortune After taming the new wild horse led to an accident where the son broke his leg—seemingly bad luck—it saved him from being conscripted into a deadly war that claimed many young lives. The villagers finally grasped the wisdom behind viewing events without immediate judgment as either fortunate or unfortunate. Through these experiences of loss turning into gain and vice versa, they recognized life’s unpredictability mirrored in how calmly yet wisely this philosophy guided them all.