There is a Chinese story of an old farmer who had an old horse for
tilling his fields. One day the horse escaped into the hills and, when
all the farmer's neighbours sympathised 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 neighbours congratulated the farmer on his good
luck. His reply was, 'Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?'
Then, when the farmer's son was attempted to tame one of the wild
horses, he fell off its back 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?
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