This has to be one of the best Alan Watts soundbites ever. He discusses the idea of what we consider to be good or bad fortune by telling the story of a Chinese farmer, who refuses to see any event as either positive or negative.
When the farmer´s horse escapes and the neighbors say “Oh, that´s terrible!”, The man replies: “Maybe.”
When the horse comes back the next day, bringing seven wild ones with it, its escape turned out to be good. Or did it? His son later breaks a leg falling off his new horse, the neighbors say it´s terrible, but the next event is positive as a result…
The fable continues like this, with twists in the plot that will make you question your own life and ask, can I really know whether this situation is good or bad, when I can never know the consequences?
This is an uplifting and thought-provoking video, with wonderful wise words from the legend Alan Watts and beautiful animation to illustrate the story.
