Good or Bad

The following is a parable about what happens when we label things as “good” or “bad”.?

Here’s The Story:

One morning after a terrible storm, a wise old man was taking his morning walk into town on his usual route past the corral of a neighboring rancher. On this particular morning he met the rancher, who was repairing the fence around his corral.

The wise man asked what had happened, and the rancher explained that the storm had frightened one of his stallions. The horse bolted into the fence, destroying it and freeing all of his other horses. The rancher lamented this by saying what a very bad thing this was.

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The wise man responded by saying, “Bad, good–it is hard to say.”

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The wise man continued on his way, and the upset rancher had no idea what to make of this statement.?During the wise man’s next daily walk, he approached the rancher, who was beaming with happiness. When asked what made him happy, the rancher pointed to his corral, saying that his stallion had returned with all of his horses and several wild mares as well. The rancher concluded by saying this was a good thing indeed.

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The wise man answered again, “Good, bad–it’s hard to say.”?

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The next day, the wise man encountered another development, as he passed the rancher’s corral. The rancher was again quite distraught, and he explained that his son had tried to ride one of the wild mares and was thrown to the ground, breaking his leg. The rancher complained that this was very bad, a terrible thing that had happened.

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Once again, the wise man said, “Bad, good–it’s hard to say.”

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Also, as you might have guessed, the rancher was starting to have his fill of the wise man’s craziness.?Well, on the next day, the wise man passed the rancher’s corral again. This time, the rancher was quite exuberant.

The wise man asked how the rancher’s son was, and the rancher explained that the army had come through yesterday, forcing young men into their ranks under threat of execution. They had to pass the rancher’s son over, however, because of his broken leg.?The rancher cheered that this was a very, very good thing for sure.

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The wise man responded “Good, bad–it’s hard to say.”

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Finally, the rancher began to understand.

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When we label things as “good” or “bad” we lose the ability to experience the awe and beauty that can be found in the present moment.?By learning to become non-resistive, judgmental and attached to outcome we can begin to turn our challenges into opportunities for better results.?

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Phil Johnson, MBL Inc. Founder & CEO

Master of Business Leadership Program

?? Career Revenue $1.5 Billion

For the past 22 years the MBL program has been developing emotional intelligence, inspirational leadership, higher consciousness and other essential skills for career, personal and corporate success.?MBL alumni live in US, Canada, UK, Europe, Japan, Germany, Bosnia, Africa, Australia, Middle East and Saudi Arabia.

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