Criticism

The story is told of a man in China who raised horses for a living. When one of his prized stallions ran away, his friends gathered at his home to mourn his great loss. After they had expressed their concern, the man raised this question: "How do I know whether what happened is bad or good?" A couple days later the runaway horse returned with several strays following close behind. The same acquaintances again came to his house - this time to celebrate his good fortune. "But how do I know whether it's good or bad?" the old gentleman asked them. That very afternoon the horse kicked the owner's son and broke the young man's leg. Once more the crowd assembled - now to express their sorrow over the incident. "But how do I know if this is bad or good?" the father asked again. Well only a few days later, war broke out. The man's son, however, was exempted from the military service because of his broken leg. Yes, you guessed it, the friends again gathered - but we'll stop the story there. You can easily see how it could go on and on. This tale points out that from our limited human perspective, it's impossible to know with certainty how to interpret the experiences of life.