That's Life

Pinky Arora, 04.02.09

That's terrible! That's wonderful! That's Life!

The following is an ancient Chinese parable that is told to this day because of the wisdom it contains. It reminded me of Baba Ji's teaching of remaining in a state of equipoise or in a balanced state of mind and not being affected by the good or the bad things that happen in our lives.

Once upon a time, a poor farmer was dismayed to learn his horse had died during the night. "That's terrible," his neighbours said, "how will you till this rocky soil without your horse?"

"That's life", said the farmer to his friends. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the village, a certain rich man heard of the farmer's plight and took pity on him, giving one of his many horses to the poor man as a gift. "That's wonderful! How lucky you are!" exclaimed the farmer's friends. But the farmer only said, "That's life".

Just two months later, frightened by flashes of lightning and bursts of thunder during a fierce summer storm, the poor farmer's horse leapt over the fence and ran to the mountains. "That's terrible! What will you do now?" the farmer's neighbours asked. "That's life." replied the farmer.
In less than three months time, and much to everyone's amazement, the runaway horse returned to the poor farmer. But he did not return alone, for he was accompanied by a magnificent stallion. Now the farmer had two horses! And if his son worked with one and he with the other, they could accomplish twice as much. The neighbours marvelled at such great fortune. "That's wonderful!" they said. But the farmer simply replied, "That's life".

Soon it was winter and no longer possible to till the frozen soil. The farmer's son thought this would be a good time to break in the new stallion for riding. However, the small, thin boy was no match for the mighty stallion. He was violently thrown from the horse and severely injured, breaking several bones in his leg. "That's terrible," said the neighbours, "now your son is lame." "That's life," came the answer.

In the spring, a military officer came to the village. He took with him all able bodied young men to fight in the war taking place in a neighbouring province. Sadly, many of the village's favourite sons died in the war. "How lucky you are your son is lame, for he is safe with you," the neighbours said. Thanking them for their good wishes, the poor farmer said, "That's life."

The above story continues to be told because it is a microcosm of life. In just a few paragraphs it is possible to gain an understanding of important life principles. For example, something good can come out of something bad, so don't moan about events when you don't know how they will turn out. Also, something bad can come out of something good, so don't grow too attached to your fleeting good fortune.

The most important principle in the story is that WE CAN NEVER KNOW AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT WHETHER OUR CIRCUMSTANCES ARE 'GOOD' OR 'BAD.' Only time will tell. So, how are we to treat life? With open arms. Accept things as they are. They are neither 'good' nor 'bad.' They simply ARE. At all times, make the most of what you have. Another way of expressing the principle under consideration is IN THE END; EVERYTHING WILL TURN OUT ALL RIGHT. IF IT ISN'T ALL RIGHT NOW, IT ISN'T THE END.

Many are blind to the joys of life. The cure for their blindness is not sight, but insight. They don't need eyes; they just need understanding.