This is one of the true inspirational stories which has been adapted from a Zen story. Once upon a time, far away lived a farmer. This farmer had huge lands. Day and night he worked in his fields. Every morning he woke up early and went to work. After working really hard all day long, he came back home. In his fields, he had a horse.
One day, the horse ran away. The frame wasn’t particularly sad. “I am sorry about your horse. It is really unfortunate,” one of the neighbors told the farmer, trying to comfort him. But the farmer remained calm and said, “Who knows? Maybe.” Also, read Racism.
Then the next day, the horse returned in the morning. And with him, he brought three other wild horses. Seeing this the neighbors rejoiced. But the farmer stayed calm. “How wonderful,” the neighbors chimed, telling the farmer that it was good and now the farmer had four horses. Again the farmer said, “Maybe.” He remained unaffected by all this.
Then the next day, the farmer’s son tried to ride one of the horses. But he failed and broke his leg. The neighbors came to know about this. “How unfortunate,” they said. “Maybe,” replied the farmer, still unwavering.
The next day, the army officials came to their village to draft young soldiers for the war. And because the farmer’s son had broken his leg, he was not drafted. The neighbors were happy about this. And they congratulated the farmer. Again he said, “Maybe.”
You see, the farmer knew that nothing was good or bad. And that he could not judge something as good or bad because of its ending. This is why he led a happy and peaceful life. You may also like to read, Farmer’s Inspirational Story.