“Every moment of every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul.”
Thomas Merton
Several decades ago, I came across this old wisdom tale. it continues to influence me especially when difficult things happen. It’s underlying message points to what it means to be a contemplative.
One day in late summer, an old farmer was working in his field with his old sick horse. The farmer felt compassion for the horse and desired to lift its burden. So he left his horse loose to go the mountains and live out the rest of its life.
Soon after, neighbors from the nearby village visited, offering their condolences and said, “What a shame. Now your only horse is gone. How unfortunate you are!. You must be very sad. How will you live, work the land, and prosper?” The farmer replied: “Who knows? We shall see”.
Two days later the old horse came back now rejuvenated after meandering in the mountainsides while eating the wild grasses. He came back with twelve new younger and healthy horses which followed the old horse into the corral.
Word got out in the village of the old farmer’s good fortune and it wasn’t long before people stopped by to congratulate the farmer on his good luck. “How fortunate you are!” they exclaimed. You must be very happy!” Again, the farmer softly said, “Who knows? We shall see.”
At daybreak on the next morning, the farmer’s only son set off to attempt to train the new wild horses, but the farmer’s son was thrown to the ground and broke his leg. One by one villagers arrived during the day to bemoan the farmer’s latest misfortune. “Oh, what a tragedy! Your son won’t be able to help you farm with a broken leg. You’ll have to do all the work yourself, How will you survive? You must be very sad”. they said. Calmly going about his usual business the farmer answered, “Who knows? We shall see”
Several days later a war broke out. The Emperor’s men arrived in the village demanding that young men come with them to be conscripted into the Emperor’s army. As it happened the farmer’s son was deemed unfit because of his broken leg. “What very good fortune you have!!” the villagers exclaimed as their own young sons were marched away. “You must be very happy.” “Who knows? We shall see!”, replied the old farmer as he headed off to work his field alone.
As time went on the broken leg healed but the son was left with a slight limp. Again the neighbors came to pay their condolences. “Oh what bad luck. Too bad for you”! But the old farmer simply replied; “Who knows? We shall see.”
As it turned out the other young village boys had died in the war and the old farmer and his son were the only able bodied men capable of working the village lands. The old farmer became wealthy and was very generous to the villagers. They said: “Oh how fortunate we are, you must be very happy”, to which the old farmer replied, “Who knows? We shall see!”
ps.
It is human nature to label things and experiences in life then judge it either good or bad. It’s how our minds tend to function. Contemplative thinking requires a conscious effort to avoid what I (or others) judge as good or bad. If we believe in a transcendent, loving Creator, then we can be secure that we are simply not the final determinant of Eternal Truth, or Reality. Instead:
We hold faith in the love of God which seeks us in every situation, and seeks our good.
And when I fail to keep joy and grief on equal footing in my journey of transformation toward who the Beloved created me to be, …I am to catch and remind myself: For it is God’s love that warms me in the sun and God’s love that sends the cold rain.
“Who knows? We shall see!”
May I always seek and choose hard truth over lies, illusions and fantasies.
Have you ever experienced something so devastating in life that once past the immediate pain was able to recognize the gift of new life and the sweet security of God’s insight and wisdom?
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