Ballard, Capitol Hill & Ravenna-Bryant
Many years ago in China there lived a wise peasant.
He had a son who he adored and was the proud owner of a white stallion which everyone in the village admired. One day his stallion escaped from his stable and disappeared.
The villagers came to him and said solemnly, “What bad luck that your horse escaped.” The peasant shrugged and responded, “Good luck, bad luck, who knows.”
The next day the stallion returned with a herd of 12 wild horses. The villagers visited him again and congratulated him, “Wow! You are a lucky man!” The peasant simply responded, “Good luck, bad luck, who knows.”
One day his son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses and fell down, breaking his leg. The villagers came to his house with their condolences, “This is terrible… what bad luck.” Again, the peasant responded, “Good luck, bad luck, who knows.”
A few weeks later, the emperor’s army marched into the village announcing that a war was starting and they were enlisting every able-bodied man. However, they left the peasant’s son since he had a broken leg.
“Good luck, bad luck, who knows.”
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