The Story of the Chinese Farmer (by Alan Watts) - it reminded me of the movie ‘Sliding Doors’, and the idea that you’re only ever one missed train (or in this case, one lost horse!!) away from a totally different life.
At the heart of this particular parable, is the rather poignant message, that it is impossible to class something as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, because you can never predict what the consequences of fortune or misfortune will be in the future.
It bears a striking resemblance to the ‘burnt toast theory’, whereby the interventions of inconvenience (ie. burnt toast), can so often be fortuitous!
The lesson goes, that in the time it takes to make a new piece of toast, we might have narrowly avoided a harmful or unpleasant fate, or been thrown into the path of a life-altering encounter or opportunity, that would not have otherwise come about.
This idea of re-framing inconveniences as re-directions - it seems to me, to be as much an antidote to self-deprecation (when things go wrong) as it is to ‘keeping one’s feet on the floor’ (when things go right!)
It mirrors one of the key messages of the ‘Sunscreen Song’ that I’ve always liked: ‘Your choices are half chance. Don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either’
Some would say, the golden threat that connects these parables, theories and lyrics teeters somewhat on the brink of toxic positivity. On some level, I can see the potential for an overlap. However, there is one important difference when it comes to The Story of the Chinese Farmer, in particular.
That is, it seems to mandate open-mindedness, much more than positivity, per se.
Also, it could actually be deemed borderline antithetical to the ‘be happy!’ narrative, since it demands accepting that celebration runs just as much risk of being premature, as commiserating does of being hasty.
Comments