Do you believe that something good—even if it’s just one thing—can come of “bad” things? Do you believe, as Oogway from Kung Fu Panda believed, that there is no good news or bad news, that there is only news? Do you know the old Chinese proverb attributed to Lao Tzu about good luck and bad luck?
Once upon a time there was a poor farmer in China who had a son, but no horse. One day a beautiful stallion appeared at his door. “Good luck, good luck!” said the villagers.
“Good luck, bad luck, who knows?” replied the farmer.
One day his son rode the horse, fell off, and broke his leg. “Oh, bad luck, bad luck!” cried the villagers.
“Good luck, bad luck, who knows?” the farmer said.
The next day the army rode through town, recruiting youths for a faraway war. They took many of the village;s sons, but passed over the farmer’s son, because of his broken leg. “Oh, good luck, good luck!” said the villagers.
“Who knows?” said the wise farmer.
If you’re one of those Zen-friendly people willing to consider that “good” and “bad” is something of a reversible situation, consider this:
When gasoline climbed over $4 a gallon in some areas, the traffic death toll — according to one study at University of Michigan— entered the lowest levels since Kennedy moved into the White House. It’s believed that the number of traffic-related fatalities is dropping because of the change in Americans’ driving habits, which is influenced largely by record high gasoline prices.
So whether you’ve been hit by economic changes, or gas prices, or something else, turning your thinking around is always a start. What’s going on in your world that has you saying “Who knows?”
