Monday Zen: The Farmer's Horse
Just wait and see
One morning, the old farmer’s horse ran away. The neighbors expressed their sympathy: “What bad fortune!” The farmer replied: “We’ll see.”
The next day, the horse returned with a whole flock in tow. The neighbors were over the moon: “How lucky you are!” The farmer replied: “We’ll see.”
The next morning, his son tried to tame the horses. He fell and broke his leg. The neighbors showed consolation: “Such bad luck!” The farmer replied: “We’ll see.”
One day later, the army drafted soldiers. They skipped the farmer’s son. The neighbors were delighted: “What a blessing!” The farmer replied: “We’ll see.”
What does the farmer know that the neighbors don’t?
I had a friend in college. When Trump got elected, he felt so discouraged, he went home and stayed in bed all day. Whenever we talked about a startup idea, he wanted to quit college and go all-in. And if he spilled his coffee, his morning was ruined.
In other words, my friend was extremely emotional. Can you see how that made his life very stressful? It was only ever the highest high or the lowest low. Nothing in-between.
Now, imagine my friend would react to most situations like the farmer.
“I got a new job. Okay. Let’s see what happens.”
“I lost some money. Okay. Let’s see what happens.”
It’s not what the farmer knows that the neighbors don’t. It’s what he is aware he doesn’t know that the neighbors think they do.
To them, the story always ends with the latest event. Game over. Time to judge. That’s why every time the story keeps going, they are surprised — yet again forced to overreact with yet another rollercoaster ride of emotion.
Meanwhile, the farmer accepts the possibility that the jury on today’s events might not be out yet. Who knows what consequence they might have down the road? Just wait and see.
If you’re waiting for an important test result, don’t assume it’s going to come back negative. Just wait and see. If you’re worried about how your job application will go, don’t throw shade on your performance. Just wait and see. And if you don’t yet have the confirmations you need to book your next vacation, just wait and see.
You can play this game forever and never be wrong. Suspend your judgments in mid-air, admit you (still) don’t know everything, and focus on learning more.
Don’t live in extremes. Live in the middle. Realize the other shoe has never quite dropped, and whenever you feel anxious, ask yourself: “What would the old farmer do?” Most likely, he would raise his shoulders, crack the faintest of smirks, and say: “We’ll see.”
-Nik
About Monday Zen: Most people hate Monday. Why? In a good life, it’s a day like any other. At the very least, it shouldn’t be worse by default. That’s what Monday Zen is for: To make sure you start the week with calm, poise, and determination.
Let’s not derail our trains of thought before they leave the station. Let’s enjoy the journey.
Amazing post!
As a companion to this idea, I very much like the thought that our attitude and perspective on things is what drives how meaningful a certain event is. Attributing something instantly as "bad luck" will make it hard to extract the insights and learnings of that event.
Having an open mind, waiting for something to unfold is crucial to get the most out of life