While we all wait for our fate, I wanted to share a story to help keep things in a little perspective.
This Taoist and Zen Buddhism "Maybe" story illustrates the principle that it is impossible to judge whether an event is truly good or bad fortune because one never knows its future consequences.
The Story of a Farmer:
Once upon a time, there was an old farmer in a small village.
The horse runs away:
One day, the farmer's only horse ran away. The neighbors came to offer their sympathy for his "terrible bad luck." The farmer calmly replied, "Maybe".
The horse returns with wild horses:
The next day, the horse returned, bringing with it three (or seven) wild horses. The neighbors exclaimed, "What wonderful luck!" The farmer again said, "Maybe".
The son breaks his leg:
The following day, the farmer's son tried to ride and tame one of the wild horses, was thrown off, and broke his leg. The neighbors offered their condolences for this "misfortune." The farmer replied, "Maybe".
The son avoids conscription:
A week later, soldiers came to the village to conscript all able-bodied young men for the army. Seeing the farmer's son had a broken leg, they passed him by. The neighbors said, "What good luck that he was spared!" The farmer simply replied, "Maybe".
The Moral of the Story
The parable teaches that events in life unfold in complex, interconnected ways, and what seems like a setback may turn into a blessing, and vice versa. The moral is to embrace uncertainty, practice detachment and equanimity, and avoid rushing to label events as definitively "good" or "bad"
A few months ago, we didn't know this person named 'Dan', and a few years later, he wouldn't matter as much, regardless of the outcome on 11/20. This is a phase, and it will pass eventually.