Once upon a time there was a village where a very poor old man lived; he had a beautiful white horse. Kings offered very high prices for the horse, but he always refused to sell it. One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable. The whole village gathered and said:
(received from Internet – unknown source)
- Stupid man! We knew that someday the horse would be stolen. It would have been better for you to sell it. What a disgrace!
He replied: Do not judge. Simply say that the horse is not in the stable. If it is a misfortune or a blessing I don’t know yet. Who knows what will be next? God knows what He does!
People laughed at the old man. But the horse returned after fifteen days. He had fled to the forest and brought a dozen of wild horses with him.
Again, people got together and said: Man, you were right. It is not a disgrace; actually it proved to be a blessing.
He replied: You are going too far again. You should simply say that the horse is back ... Who can be assured it is a blessing or not? We must understand that God knows what He does....
The man had one single son who started to train the wild horses. A week later he fell from a horse and fractured legs. People gathered and said: It was a disgrace. Your only son has lost the use of his legs, and in your old age he was your only source of support.
The old man said: You are obsessed with judgment. Simply say that my son broke his legs. Nobody knows whether this is a misfortune or a blessing. God knows what He does because divine justice is not deceived.
His country went to war a few days; and all the young people from the village were forced to enlist to the army. The old man's son was the only young man left behind because he was recovering from the injury. The whole town was crying, whining because they knew that most young people would never come back home. They came to the old man once again and said this time:
- You were right. It has proved to be a blessing that your son is crippled; he’s still here with you.
The old man said: You continue judging. No one knows! Simply say that your children were forced to join the army and my son wasn’t. In fact, a path ends and another begins; one door closes, another opens... Feel satisfied by simply living the present moment and learning from it... And never forget that God is always fair and governs the world with His perfect laws, including the law of cause and effect.