The parable of the Zen farmer reminds us to avoid hasty generalizations.
In both life and in business, when an unexpected good or bad event happens, it’s common to quickly assess the situation and then jump to a conclusion. When things go well, we’re overjoyed. But when things don’t turn out as we’d hoped, we’re deflated.
Since bad experiences are felt more strongly than good ones, people often catastrophize and even promote a “you’ll see how bad it will get” attitude to others. However, in my experience, the hasty conclusion is inevitably much more negative than what actually happens later on. Instead of a “you’ll see” hastiness, people would likely be better off adopting an attitude of “wait and we’ll see.”
To reinforce the “we’ll see” attitude in a memorable way, here’s the parable of the Zen farmer:
A farmer and his son had a beloved stallion who helped them earn a living. One day, the horse escaped from their farm through a broken fence. Upon hearing the news, the neighbors came to express their sympathies, “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!” The farmer enigmatically replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.” The neighbors were confused, but decided to ignore him.
A few days later, the horse returned home with three wild mares. The neighbors came to congratulate the farmer, shouting “What great luck!” To which the farmer replied, “We’ll see.”
The following day, the farmer’s son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown off, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy: “Your son broke his leg, what terrible luck!” The farmer again replied, “We’ll see.”
A few weeks later, soldiers came to the village, drafting all the able-bodied young men for the army. Seeing the boy’s leg was broken, they passed him over. The villagers shouted, “Your boy is spared; what tremendous luck!” To which the farmer replied as he always did, “We’ll see.”
This parable of the Zen farmer reminds us that no event on its own should be judged as good fortune or bad fortune; only time can tell. Rather than reacting quickly to events – either positive or negative – try to step back and put the new information in perspective. Let a little time go by so as to get more context.
Remember the Zen farmer and adopt the attitude of “we’ll see.”
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