THE WAIT-AND-SEE MAN

Long ago in China, a young farmer bought a female horse. Many of the farmer's neighbors would come by to see the horse. He spent many hours caring for her. The young farmer was counting on having many young horses to sell. One day, however, the horse ran away. The young farmer's friends tried to cheer him up, but he was too sad. He knew that his family couldn't afford to buy a new horse. However, the farmer's father continued to smile. Finally, the young farmer couldn't stand his father's smile any longer. He asked, "What are you so happy about?"

His father told him calmly, "It is sad to lose a horse, but you never know what good things might happen because of this. We should wait and see."

A few months later, the horse returned and it brought a beautiful, strong male horse with it. The farmer called up all of his friends. They came over to the young farmer's house to offer him congratulations on his good fortune. The young farmer told his friends, "Now my dream of having many young horses to sell will come true!" But when the father came up to them, he looked worried.

The farmer's father told everyone, "Having two horses does seem lucky. But I can't help worrying that something bad will happen. We must wait and see."

Then one day the farmer fell off the horse. His leg hurt and he cried out for help. His family heard his cries and came out of the house to help him. They took him to the hospital and checked in. The doctor came to examine the young farmer. He told him that his leg was broken and that he would not be able to work for many weeks. The farmer's wife and child would have to cope with all of the farm work alone.

All of the farmer's friends and family were upset, except the farmer's father. He told everyone, "Yes, it does look bad, doesn't it? But calm down. We should wait and see what good things may happen as a result of this."

Only a few days later, the towns near the farm were attacked by armies from the north. All of the towns asked the people to cooperate with each other and make an army to defend their land. This army consisted of farmers rather than soldiers, and many young men died in the fighting. However, because the young farmer had broken his leg, he could not fight. The young farmer lived to become a very old man. The young farmer learned a good lesson from his wait-and-see father. He learned that both good and bad luck will catch up with you.