Worry
I read a headline this morning. You know the type. "What if Trump's second term gets really bad?" Cue cortisol response.
I've been wondering — is there anything but a negative outcome when we worry like this about an unforeseeable future? Yes, the next four years might be horrible. Or they could be boring. Maybe they'll even be good, at least in spots? Isn't that possible? Or, could it be that, even if things do go horribly sideways, it opens the door to something great down the line that wouldn't otherwise have come about?
I don’t know. None of us know. That’s the point, I suppose.
There's a Buddhist story I stumbled into recently that I think about for situations like these:
An old farmer had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit.
"Such bad luck," they said sympathetically.
"We'll see," the farmer replied.
The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses.
"How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed.
"We'll see," replied the old man.
The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.
"We'll see," answered the farmer.
The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.
"We'll see" said the farmer.