Mindset story: Who’s to say if it’s Bad luck or good luck?

An elderly Chinese peasant farmer had a horse that he loved very much and depended on for almost everything. In the spring when it was time to plant, the farmer would hitch a plow to the horse and plow the land. When the fall harvest would come, the farmer would hitch the wagon to the horse and take his produce to the market to sell. Whenever the farmer had to travel, he would put a saddle on the horse and ride it. Every day in one way or another, this beloved horse was a big and dramatic part of the farmer’s life and the lives of the villagers since they would often ask the farmer for help. Then one afternoon the horse ran away. Since the farmer lived in a small village, the word quickly spread amongst the villagers that he had lost his horse. For the next several days, whenever the farmer met any of his neighbors, they would say, “I’m so sorry to hear about your bad luck in losing your horse,” and he would just shrug his shoulders and say, “Who’s to say if it’s Bad luck or Good luck?”

Well, lo and behold, six days later his horse returned from the mountains with a couple of wild horses that it had met. The farmer was able to corral all of them and, of course, the news spread quickly throughout the village. For the next several days, whenever he met any of his fellow villagers, they would say, “Sure glad to hear about your good luck getting…