| There once lived a young man and his father in a tiny Chinese village. They had little more than a roof over their heads and a sturdy mare. The young man loved to ride this mare each morning, drinking in the horse’s speed and loving the feel of the wind in his hair. However, early one day the mare suddenly reared, for no reason at all, and rode off into the woods to the north, throwing the young man and breaking his leg. When the villagers heard of this event, they said, “We are so sorry, what a terrible thing to have happened. Your horse is gone and your son lame. This is a great mis- fortune.” The father, who was wise in the ways of the Tao, simply replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.” |