The Story of A Wise Old Man
One of my favorite stories tells of a wise old man living in a remote village. The wise man owned the most beautiful black stallion ever seen in those parts. All the other villagers would come around to stare at the horse with jealousy in their hearts.
One day the wise old man woke in the morning to see that his prized stallion had disappeared. The other villagers who were secretly overjoyed, all came to share their sympathies. "Such bad luck," they said feigning anguish. The old man just stared at them unmoved and said: "maybe."
The following week, just as the villagers returned to their homes from the fields, the black stallion galloped back to the old man's home regally, followed by a beautiful white mare and a young colt. The astounded villagers all gathered around to see the wonder and told the wise old man excitedly: "We were all so stupid. Of course you saw this all along. You are truly the luckiest man here." The old man responded with the same unimpressed look: "maybe."
The next day, the wise old man's son began to train the white mare, when she threw him off and he broke his leg as he fell. The old man's wife came out and cursed to the sky "oh, how unlucky we are!" but the wise old man, calm as ever, responded: "maybe."
That afternoon, the emperor's military recruiters rode into the village to pick up a few able bodied men for a ten year stint in the army. They came to the old man's house, having heard about his able bodied son, but when they saw the condition he was in, they decided to pass him by, and said to the old man: "lucky boy." The old man smiled politely and let out: "maybe."
This story has been an inspiration to me many times when I felt like my luck had failed me. It is always a reminder to me that sometimes things are not exactly as they seem.
The old man in the story did not know the emperor's recruiters were on their way to his house the very moment his son broke his leg, but he did have the wisdom to know that in life anything can happen. What is perceived by us to be good can turn out to be bad, then good again and so on. There can be so many implications to any event that in fact there is no way for us to judge it as good or bad even in hindsight.
A few years ago, it happened to me that I was looking to find a new home to move into, and I met with what seemed to me to be the most dreadful luck. It felt like I was always a minute too late, or ten minutes too early, and for months I kept missing out on every opportunity I had.
After a few months of this going on, and after much frustration on my part, things suddenly took a turn, and I found myself heading for India, in what turned out to be a magical and exhilarating voyage. Soon after my arrival there, I picked up a book in which this story was told, and it all became very clear to me.
If I had found a new home like I wanted, I would never have left for my journey so soon thereafter, and looking back, I was very happy that it happened as it did, so all my anxiety was completely misplaced. All my frustration was caused not by misfortune, but by mistaken expectations.
Since then, whenever that feeling of frustration at not getting what I want comes to me, whenever I feel like doors are closing in my face, I am reminded that maybe there are better things waiting for me around the corner. Some door I do not see at the moment may soon open widely and call me in.
Surrender
Many spiritual traditions tell us that we should bow our heads and surrender to God's will. The word Islam, for example, means 'submission,' or the total surrender of oneself to God. This concept is prevalent in the West as well as in the East. Many times this interprets itself in our minds to the idea that if something bad has happened to us, it is not in vain, but a part of a higher design, and that basically we should accept it with grace and happiness at having the opportunity to serve God's plans.
There is always a reason for our misfortune - call it God's will, Karma, Fate. The wise man, however, is unconcerned with any of these. He does not busy his mind with concepts about good or bad.
He is wise enough to accept what happens in life without judgment, not because of some religious teaching or spiritual conviction, but simply through his wisdom and the understanding that we can never know what the future may bring, and that we are ill equipped to judge a situation as good or bad, even if there were such a distinction.
To me this attitude is the highest form of surrender. Accepting whatever happens with acquiescence, not because it is the right, or spiritual, thing to do. Not because it is the best way to deal with hardships.
Simply because we accept that we can never really know what is actually going on.
Attending Satsang with Mooji in India recently, I heard it said in an especially playful manner. "In the land of 'I don't know,'" he said, "the citizens are very peaceful and happy."