The previous man Sai Weng 塞翁 had a horse. Someday his horse was gone. His neighbors got here to see him and have been very unhappy, “Oh poor Sai Weng, you misplaced your horse!” Sai Weng replied, “I don’t know if shedding my horse is sweet or dangerous, I simply know I misplaced my horse.”
The following day the misplaced horse got here again with a Qian Li Ma 千里馬, (a thousand-miles horse, one who can journey 1000 miles with one step). The neighbors got here once more, providing him their congratulations. “You have to be so pleased to have your horse again and now you will have a well-known Qian Li Ma!” The previous man replied, “I don’t know if having my horse again and having a Qian Li Ma is an efficient factor or a nasty factor, all I do know is I’ve two horses now.”
The following day the previous man’s son needed to journey on the Qian Li Ma. The Qian Li Ma was too quick although and the son fell off and broke his leg. The neighbors got here once more and supplied their condolences. Sai Weng replied, “I don’t know if my son falling down and breaking his leg is an efficient factor or a nasty factor, all I do know is he fell down and broke his leg.”
Quickly the warfare began. Each younger man needed to go to warfare, besides the son of Sai Weng, who was exempt, and who’s life was spared, due to his damaged his leg.
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Sai Weng Misplaced His Horse is without doubt one of the extra well-known Chinese language youngsters’s fables. It’s informed to show us to not pre-judge issues. Throughout these current weeks I’ve been considering so much about this story. Deaths, inventory market crashes, stripped grocery retailer cabinets, fingers uncooked from alcohol sprays, journeys cancelled, social distancing, quarantines, well being care collapses; we’re overwhelmed. Our whole world has modified right away, and never only for just a few, however for us all.
As a result of we’re within the early phases of our international pandemic, it’s fairly troublesome to succeed in out from our concern of the unknown and picture what may be good about all of it. We simply have no idea. We can’t but know. Furthermore, to require our minds right now to evaluate good or dangerous is an train in futility. It’s simply just too large for us to fathom or management or outline. All we all know is now we have a virus.
We aren’t used to having no thought on such a big scale are we? We aren’t used to having the brakes of our lives slam on so shortly. We aren’t used to chaos and ambiguity ripping the material of our management so exactly. What are we requested to do with all of it? We’re requested to easily cease. Cease doing all the actions now we have constructed our lives and society on. Simply cease. Is that this a great factor or a nasty factor?
I do discover it fascinating how shortly we, as a species, are adapting. Our human spirit is grabbing the flame of this disaster and working with it. We’re complying with guidelines. Voluntarily. For the nice of not simply ourselves, however for us all. Additionally, inside every week, there are international choices for streaming Opera, Symphonies, Library Collections, all at no cost. Disney is releasing Frozen 2 for streaming 3 months forward of schedule. Folks in my career are creating on-line lessons and movies to maintain folks lively. Persons are volunteering at meals banks. Cities are giving out free lunches whereas colleges are shut down. Breweries are turning their waste into hand sanitizer and giving it away. Skilled athletes are donating their tens of millions to maintain stadium staff paid. Billionaires are funding free testing websites. The as soon as extremely aggressive international Immunology and Virology fields are all working collectively at breakneck pace. With each story concerning the horrendous virus, there may be one other that exemplifies what’s the most luxurious in us all.
We are going to all endure tremendously. But we’ll all turn out to be extra resilient than now we have ever identified ourselves to be. How can I be so certain? As a result of we’re already rising to the event. And lest we not overlook, it IS what we do, given the prospect. We’re seeing by the Escher portray right down to essentially the most minute of our connections to one another and we are rising to the event. Our world won’t ever be the identical. And to be frank, I hope it’s not. We would have liked to vary, and we didn’t know the right way to do it. So, nature is doing it for us. Is that this good or dangerous? We have no idea. All we all know is now we have a virus. And one another.
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Thanks to Jan Silberstorff for sharing with me his translation of Sai Weng Misplaced His Horse 塞翁失馬 in his current Seattle seminar. He additionally shared with me considered one of his college students years in the past, upon listening to this story stated of the “good or dangerous” koan, “Solely the horse is aware of!”