There lived an old man in a village. He was very poor, but all the emperors envied him because he had a beautiful white horse. No one had ever seen such a horse, distinguished by its beauty, stature, strength... Oh, what a miracle this horse was! And the emperors offered the owner everything he wanted for the horse! But the old man said: “This horse is not a horse for me, he is a personality, but how can you sell, pray tell, a personality? He is my friend, not my property. How can you sell a friend?! - Impossible!" And although his poverty knew no bounds, and there were unimaginable temptations to sell his horse, he did not do it.
And then one morning, going into the stall, he did not find a horse there, and the whole village gathered, and everyone said in unison: “You are a fool! Yes, we all knew in advance that one fine day this horse would be stolen! Given your poverty, to keep such a treasure!.. It would be better if you sold it! Yes, you would have received any money, no matter what you asked for - that’s what emperors are for, to pay any price! Where is your horse now? What a misfortune!
The old man said: “Well, well, don’t get carried away! Just say that the horse is not in the stall. This is a fact, everything else is judgment. Happiness, unhappiness... How do you know this? How can you judge?
People said: “Don't lie! We are, of course, not philosophers. But they are not so stupid as not to see the obvious. Your horse has been stolen, which, of course, is a misfortune!”
The old man replied: “You do as you wish, but I will adhere to the fact that since the stall is empty, then the horse is not there. I don’t know anything else - whether it’s happiness or misfortune, because this is just a small episode. And who knows what will happen next?
People laughed. They decided that the old man had simply gone crazy from misfortune. They always suspected that he didn’t have everything at home: anyone else would have sold his horse long ago and lived like a king. And even in his old age he remained a woodcutter: he went into the forest, chopped wood, collected brushwood, sold it and barely made ends meet, living in poverty and squalor. Well, now it has become obvious that he is crazy.
But fifteen days later the horse unexpectedly returned. He wasn't stolen, he fled into the forest. And he returned not alone, but brought with him a dozen wild horses. And again people gathered and said: “Yes, old man, you were right! We are the fools! Yes, he really is happiness! Forgive our stupidity mercifully!”
The old man replied: “What are you talking about, by God! Well, the horse is back. Well, he brought the horses - so what? Don't judge! Happiness, unhappiness - who knows?! And this is just a small episode. You don’t know the whole story, why judge. You have read only one page of the book, how can you judge the whole book? After reading just one sentence on a page, how do you know what else is written on it? You don’t even have one word! Life is a boundless ocean! - a letter from a word, yes! And you judge the whole thing. Happiness, unhappiness - why judge, no one knows. And I am happy in my non-judgment. Now go and don’t bother me, for God’s sake!”
And this time people were unable to object to the old man: what if the old man was right this time too? Therefore, they remained silent, although deep down they understood perfectly well that this was the most beautiful and fabulous happiness - twelve horses came with the horse! Yes, you just have to want it, and they will all turn into unimaginable wealth!
The old man had an only young son. He began to ride around wild horses. Less than a week later, he fell from his horse and broke his leg. And again people gathered, and people are the same everywhere, and they began to judge again. They said: “Yes, old man, you were right again. This is a misfortune. The only son - and he broke his leg! At least one would be a support for you in old age, but now?! You will become even poorer!”
And the old man replied: “Well! Judgments again! Why are you in such a hurry? Just say: my son broke his leg! Happiness, unhappiness - who knows?! Life goes on in fragments, but you can judge the whole.”
And it so happened that just a few days later the enemy attacked the country, a war began, and all the young people of the village were drafted into the army. And only the old man’s son was left: he could not walk, a poor cripple. And again people gathered, they screamed and cried: a son or several sons left each house, and there was no hope that they would return, because the attacked country was huge and the battle was lost in advance - they would not return to their homes!
...The whole village moaned and cried. And people came to the old man and said to him: “Forgive us, old man! God sees that you are right - your son's fall from his horse was a blessing. Even though he is crippled, your son is with you! Our children are gone forever! He’s alive, and maybe he’ll even start walking a little. It’s better to be lame and alive!”
And the old man answered: “No, it’s impossible with you! People! What do you?! You continue again and again - judge, judge, judge! Who knows?! Your children were forcibly taken into the army, and my son stayed with me. But no one knows whether this is a blessing or a misfortune. And no one will ever be able to find out. Only God knows!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru