A Profound Lesson from a Chinese Parable

How Giving Up Control is the Prerequisite to Peace

There is an ancient parable about an old man in a Chinese village who, while very poor, was the envy of wealthy kings jealous of his beautiful white horse. The monarchs offered fabulous prices, but the old man loved the horse as a friend and refused to sell.

One morning, the old man discovered that the horse was not in the stable. The village gathered and called the man a fool for not selling the horse when he could have. They called the loss of his horse a terrible misfortune and lost opportunity.

But the old man said, “Who knows. It could be misfortune. It could be a blessing. Only God knows.”

The people thought the old man had gone mad. He hadn’t gone mad. He had surrendered control.

After fifteen days, the horse suddenly returned. It had not been stolen but had escaped to the wilderness. Not only did the horse come back, but he also brought a dozen wild horses with him into the poor man’s stable.

Again, the people gathered and said, “You were right. It wasn’t a misfortune; the loss of the horse was a blessing after all.”

The old man replied, “Who knows. It could be a blessing. Maybe not. Only God knows.”