Long ago, there was an old farmer living on the outskirts of a little village. He was quite poor, possessing only a small piece of land, a small house in which he lived with his only son, and one horse. One day, the horse broke out of the corral and ran away. The neighbors came over to console the farmer. They said, “Oh, this is so terrible! You were poor before, but now you’re destitute. What bad luck! This is the worst thing that could have happened.” The old farmer shrugged his shoulders and gently said, “Who knows what’s good and what’s bad?” The farmer fixed the fence and left the gate open. The next day, his horse came back and went right into the corral, followed by a whole herd of wild horses. The neighbors came over to congratulate him. They said, “Oh, this is so wonderful! You were the poorest man in the village and now you’re the richest. What good fortune! This is the best thing that could have happened.” The old farmer shrugged his shoulders and again said, “Who knows what’s good and what’s bad.” The next day, his son was working to tame the new horses. One of them bucked and he fell off, breaking his leg. The neighbors came over and said, “Oh, this is so terrible! Now your son is hurt, the horses can’t be tamed, and you have no one to help you harvest your crop. What bad luck! This is the worst thing that could have happened!” The old farmer shrugged his shoulders and once more said, “Who knows what’s good and what’s bad?” And the next day, the king’s army came through the countryside, taking all the able-bodied young men off to battle, where they were almost sure to die. But because the old farmer’s son’s leg was hurt, he wasn’t taken along. So who knows what’s good and what’s bad?
Parent, Dr. Joseph. Zen Golf (p. 186). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.