It could be good or it could be bad
We often assign a permanent label of good or bad to a current situation, place, feeling, person, political or religious view, and so on, when in fact we really don’t know for certain if these things will always be good or bad. Nothing is set in stone as things change over time due to causes and conditions. One person may have had a perfect life until an accident or loss of fortune changes all that. Another person could have experienced a horrific upbringing, prison, or war but ended up successful and happy. In either case, the situation they were initially in was not guaranteed to exist throughout their life. In addition, good and bad are irrelevant in relation to what is actually going to happen in the next moment. It is important to accept the fact that nothing is permanent and that our current condition is subject to change. How we view that flux is critical to our overall well-being. If we become attached to the things that we label as good, we set ourselves up for disappointment when the object of our attachment no longer exists. If we are attached to the idea that everything in our life or everything about us is bad, we miss the frequent opportunities for contentment that are possible in each moment.
The following is an old story that exemplifies the various shades of good and bad. Long ago, in a kingdom far, far away there lived a farmer and his son who were very poor. They lived on a small piece of land and earned enough money by cutting wood and selling vegetables. One morning when they woke up they were surprised to find a beautiful stallion in their corral. The farmer and his son could not figure out where the majestic horse came from but took care of it as well as they could. Soon people in the surrounding countryside heard about the farmer’s good fortune and came to see the stallion for themselves. They were all envious and said to the farmer, “You are so fortunate to have such a magnificent animal.” The farmer replied, “Maybe. It could be good or it could be bad.” A couple of days later when the farmer and his son went to check on the horse, it was gone. The neighbors came by and saw that the stallion had disappeared and said, “This is very unlucky for you, Farmer. Now you have nothing again.” The farmer responded, “It could be good or it could be bad.” The very next morning the farmer and his son heard a noise outside their cabin and rushed out to see that the stallion had returned along with three strong, healthy mares. It didn’t take long for the neighbors to hear about this and they hurried over to the farmer’s place to see for themselves. When they saw all four animals crowded in the farmer’s small corral they all began telling the farmer how fortunate he was to be so richIn response the farmer simply said, “It could be good or it could be bad.” A few days later the son decided to ride the stallion. The animal was skittish and bucked him off. The son landed hard on a rock and broke a leg and an arm. The neighbors heard about the accident and came over to console the farmer in his tragedy. Now the farmer didn’t have any help with all the chores. The farmer shrugged and said, “It could be good or it could be bad.” About that time a war had started in a distant land and the king needed to raise an army to go and fight in the war. He and his knights went around the countryside gathering up all the strong, healthy young men for his army. The farmer’s son was the only young man spared from having to fight in the war. When the king and his army had gone, the neighbors living around the farmer came by to express their sadness over the fact that their sons were mustered into the army. They said, “Our sons have gone to fight in a war and many will never come back. You are so fortunate that your son was hurt and couldn’t go.” The farmer only looked at them and said, “It could be good or it could be bad.” We never know where good fortune or suffering will eventually lead us. What is certain though is that change, good or bad, can be miraculous because it can take us out of our complacency and it forces us to look at life with fresh eyes. Like the story of the farmer and his son, view whatever you are going through right now as, “It could be good or it could be bad.” How you view things is entirely up to you. Be aware that your perspective on events influences your experience of them, whether you are happy or unhappy
We often assign a permanent label of good or bad to a current situation, place, feeling, person, political or religious view, and so on, when in fact we really don’t know for certain if these things will always be good or bad. Nothing is set in stone as things change over time due to causes and conditions. One person may have had a perfect life until an accident or loss of fortune changes all that. Another person could have experienced a horrific upbringing, prison, or war but ended up successful and happy. In either case, the situation they were initially in was not guaranteed to exist throughout their life. In addition, good and bad are irrelevant in relation to what is actually going to happen in the next moment. It is important to accept the fact that nothing is permanent and that our current condition is subject to change. How we view that flux is critical to our overall well-being. If we become attached to the things that we label as good, we set ourselves up for disappointment when the object of our attachment no longer exists. If we are attached to the idea that everything in our life or everything about us is bad, we miss the frequent opportunities for contentment that are possible in each moment.
The following is an old story that exemplifies the various shades of good and bad. Long ago, in a kingdom far, far away there lived a farmer and his son who were very poor. They lived on a small piece of land and earned enough money by cutting wood and selling vegetables. One morning when they woke up they were surprised to find a beautiful stallion in their corral. The farmer and his son could not figure out where the majestic horse came from but took care of it as well as they could. Soon people in the surrounding countryside heard about the farmer’s good fortune and came to see the stallion for themselves. They were all envious and said to the farmer, “You are so fortunate to have such a magnificent animal.” The farmer replied, “Maybe. It could be good or it could be bad.” A couple of days later when the farmer and his son went to check on the horse, it was gone. The neighbors came by and saw that the stallion had disappeared and said, “This is very unlucky for you, Farmer. Now you have nothing again.” The farmer responded, “It could be good or it could be bad.” The very next morning the farmer and his son heard a noise outside their cabin and rushed out to see that the stallion had returned along with three strong, healthy mares. It didn’t take long for the neighbors to hear about this and they hurried over to the farmer’s place to see for themselves. When they saw all four animals crowded in the farmer’s small corral they all began telling the farmer how fortunate he was to be so richIn response the farmer simply said, “It could be good or it could be bad.” A few days later the son decided to ride the stallion. The animal was skittish and bucked him off. The son landed hard on a rock and broke a leg and an arm. The neighbors heard about the accident and came over to console the farmer in his tragedy. Now the farmer didn’t have any help with all the chores. The farmer shrugged and said, “It could be good or it could be bad.” About that time a war had started in a distant land and the king needed to raise an army to go and fight in the war. He and his knights went around the countryside gathering up all the strong, healthy young men for his army. The farmer’s son was the only young man spared from having to fight in the war. When the king and his army had gone, the neighbors living around the farmer came by to express their sadness over the fact that their sons were mustered into the army. They said, “Our sons have gone to fight in a war and many will never come back. You are so fortunate that your son was hurt and couldn’t go.” The farmer only looked at them and said, “It could be good or it could be bad.” We never know where good fortune or suffering will eventually lead us. What is certain though is that change, good or bad, can be miraculous because it can take us out of our complacency and it forces us to look at life with fresh eyes. Like the story of the farmer and his son, view whatever you are going through right now as, “It could be good or it could be bad.” How you view things is entirely up to you. Be aware that your perspective on events influences your experience of them, whether you are happy or unhappy
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