Maybe
I’ve been mulling over a Zen story about a farmer whose horse ran away. “Such bad luck!” his neighbors said. “Maybe,” the farmer replied. Then the horse returned, accompanied by two wild horses. “So fortunate!” the neighbors said. “Maybe,” said the farmer. Later, the farmer’s son tried to ride a wild horse, was thrown off, and broke his leg. “How awful!” the neighbors sympathized. The farmer: “Maybe.” The army came through town, recruiting all the young men. They passed by the farmer’s son because of his broken leg. “Such good luck!” declared the neighbors. “Maybe,” said the farmer. What I can’t get out of my mind is the farmer’s abiding equanimity. Where I ride waves of emotion, he keeps an even keel. The highs of anticipation, excitement, and jubilation, he seems to say, can throw us off as much as disappointment. Throw us off what? Our center. Our place of…