A2. The Farmer And His Horse

The Farmer & His Horse

Today, we are going to read a story from Taoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy. This story teaches us about life and how we understand good and bad events.

The Story:

Once upon a time, there was a farmer who had a horse. One day, the horse ran away.

The neighbors said, "Oh, what bad luck!"

The farmer replied, "Maybe."

A few days later, the horse came back with three wild horses.

The neighbors said, "Wow, what good luck!"

The farmer said, "Maybe."

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Then, the farmer's son tried to ride one of the wild horses. He fell off and broke his leg.

The neighbors said, "Oh, what bad luck!"

The farmer replied, "Maybe."

Soon, the army came to the village to take away all young men to fight in a war. Because the farmer's son had a broken leg, he could not go.

The neighbors said, "Wow, what good luck!"

The farmer said, "Maybe."

☯️☯️

The moral of the story:

The story tells us what seems bad might be good, and what seems good might be bad.

We do not always know what will happen next. The story teaches us to stay calm and not judge situations too quickly.

This story helps us understand that good and bad events are connected in ways we might not immediately see.