This is a story I heard over twenty years ago at a church service. It has become one of my all-time favorites for business and life. The speaker told the story flawlessly, and it moves me as deeply today as it did then. I revisit it often when I lose my way.
The Old Man and the White Horse
Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, for he owned a beautiful white horse. Even the king coveted his treasure. A horse like this had never been seen before– such was its strength.
People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused. “This horse is not a horse to me,” he would tell them. “It is a person. How could you sell a person? He is a friend, not a possession. How could you sell a friend?” The man was poor and the temptation was great. But he never sold the horse.
One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable. All the village came to see him. “You old fool,” they scoffed, “we told you that someone would steal your horse. We warned you that you would be robbed. You are so poor. How could you ever protect such a valuable animal? It would have been better to have sold him. You could have gotten whatever price you wanted.”
The old man responded, “Don’t speak too quickly. Say only that the horse is not in the stable. That is all we know; the rest is judgment. If I’ve been cursed or not, how can you know? How can you judge?”
The people contested, “Don’t make us out to be fools! We may not be philosophers, but great philosophy is not needed. The simple fact that your horse is gone is a curse.”
The old man spoke again. “All I know is that the stable is empty, and the horse is gone. The rest I don’t know. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can’t say. All we can see is a fragment. Who can say what will come next?”
The people of the village laughed. They thought the man was crazy. They had always thought he was a fool; if he wasn’t he would have sold the horse and lived off the money. But instead, he was a poor woodcutter, and the old man was still cutting firewood and dragging it out of the forest and selling it. He had lived hand to mouth in misery of poverty. Now he had proved that he was, indeed, a fool.
After fifteen days, the horse returned. He hadn’t been stolen; he had run into the forest. Not only had he returned, he had also brought a dozen wild horses with him. Once again, the village people gathered around the woodcutter and spoke. “Old man, you were right, and we were wrong. What we thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us.”
The man responded, “Once again you go too far. Say only that the horse is back. State only that the dozen horses returned with him, but don’t judge. How do you know if this is a blessing or a curse? You only see a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge? You only read one page of a book. Can you judge the whole book? You read only one word of one phrase. Can you understand the entire phrase?”
“Life is vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. All you have is a fragment! Don’t say this is a blessing. No one knows. I am content with what I know. I am not perturbed by what I don’t.”
“Maybe the old man is right,” they said to one another. So they said little. But down deep, they knew he was wrong. They knew it was a blessing. Twelve wild horses had returned. With a little work, the animals could be broken and trained and sold for much money.
The old man had a son, an only son. The young man began to break the wild horses. After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both legs. Once again, the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their judgments.
“You were right,” they lamented. “You proved you were right. The dozen horses were not a blessing. They were a curse. You only son has broken both his legs, and now in your old age you will have no one to help you. Now you are poorer than ever.”
The old man spoke again. “You people are obsessed with judging. Don’t go so far. Say only that my son has broken his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse? No one knows. We only have a fragment. Life comes in fragments.”
It so happened that a few weeks later the country engaged in war against a neighboring country. All young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was excluded, because of his injury. Once again the people gathered around the old man, crying and screaming because their sons had been taken. There was little chance they would return. The enemy was strong, and the war would be a losing struggle. They would never see their sons again.
“You were right, old man,” they wept. “God knows you were right. This proves it. Your son’s accident was a blessing. His legs may be broken, but at least he is still with you. Our sons are gone forever.
The old man spoke again. “It is impossible to speak with you. You always draw conclusions. No one knows. Say only this. Your sons had to go to war, and mine did not. No one knows if it is a blessing or a curse. No one is wise enough to know. Only God knows.”
There are many lessons in this story, but the business lesson is profound: refuse to judge daily events as good or bad; simply see them as events in time. The assessment is only based on a limited window of time and perspective. Winning or losing a contract, a staff member, a “failed” idea that cost time and money all may prove to be a blessing or curse in the long run.
So much time and emotional energy is wasted judging events that are often out of our control, and more is out of our control than we like to admit. This is especially true of business owners who are generally people of action, competitive to the core, with an insatiable drive to succeed, make progress, and get things done.
I could list many examples during my career– losing a staff member in the middle of the season, a misunderstanding that resulted in a service cancellation, a threat of a government agency fine or license suspension, a new competitor, insurance changes that each threatened to be a fatal blow to our company. But every one of these situations had a minor impact in the long term. And seemingly terrible things worked out so well, it still gives me goose bumps.
We are not God, and we can’t see the totality of a situation as it’s happening. So remember the man with the white horse– hold off on making judgments and pick up your axe for another day.
Made In The Shade 