The Taoist Parable of the Farmer

Running an organization is like steering a ship through ever-changing tides of success and failure. Often my clients ask me how to cope with the anxiety and uncertainty that comes with setbacks and the threat of setbacks. Recently, a client came into a session disheartened by an unwelcome circumstance. Though by no means catastrophic in the grand scheme of the business, the setback left him disheartened and unmotivated.

He asked how to shift his mindset. I told him I had the perfect story for him, The Taoist Parable of the Farmer.

Once upon a time, there was a farmer and his son. One day, his son accidentally left the latch to a gate open and, while no one was looking, their one horse ran away. All the neighbors came around that evening and said, ‘That’s too bad, you won’t be able to till the soil this season and you’ll be in big trouble.’ In response, the farmer said, ‘Maybe.’?

The next day the farmer sent his son out to find the horse. That evening the son returned not only with the horse but also an additional wild horse with it. The son explained that he found their horse and it had befriended the wild horse. All the neighbors came around and said, ‘Why, that’s great, isn’t it? You were going to struggle with no horse but now you have two horses and your farm will surely prosper!’ In response, the farmer said, ‘Maybe.’

The next day the son, who was attempting to tame the wild horse, was thrown and broke his leg. Hearing the boy’s screaming, the neighbors came around and said, ‘Well, that’s such bad luck, isn’t it?’ And, the farmer said, ‘Maybe.’

The next day the warlord came by conscripting young men for a military campaign, and they rejected the farmer’s son because he had a broken leg. They took all the neighbors’ sons and no one was sure whether they would return. The neighbors came by weeping and said, ‘You’re so lucky your son wasn’t taken like ours!’ And, the farmer said, ‘Maybe.'

My client was struck by the simplicity and profundity of the story. He understood in that moment that the setback he received wasn’t even a setback. The idea of “setback” was just a story he was telling about an event. This story was the only thing holding him back from doing his best work. He returned to his company with renewed zest and by the next session we were celebrating a huge and unexpected success.??

Leadership is a journey marked by aspiration. Yet, in the pursuit of success, setbacks are an inevitable part of the landscape. In the midst of these challenges, equanimity is a steadying force. In realizing that no events are inherently good or bad, leaders maintain an equanimity that offers solace in the face of adversity and a framework for interpreting life's challenges. Much like the farmer who tills the land and sows seeds of hope, leaders can cultivate their own sense of unwavering equanimity.