Who Knows?
"It is only in our darkest hours that we may discover the true strength of the brilliant light within ourselves that can never, ever, be dimmed." —Doe Zantamata
According to Chinese legend, when Sai Weng lost one of his prized horses, his neighbor expressed sorrow for his loss. But Sai Weng was unconcerned. He said, “Who knows if it may be a good thing for me?” Surprisingly, the lost horse returned home with another horse. As the neighbor congratulated him, Sai Weng said, “Who knows if it may be a bad thing for me?” As it turned out, his son broke his leg when he rode on the new horse. This seemed like a misfortune until the army arrived at the village to recruit all able-bodied men to fight in the war. Because of the son’s injury, he wasn’t recruited, which ultimately could have spared him from death.
This is the story behind the Chinese proverb which teaches that a difficulty can be a blessing in disguise and vice versa.
What About the Pandemic?
Without question, our lives have been transformed since the C0VID outbreak was declared a pandemic, causing significant changes to homes, working life, and stress —a test like no other. Never before have the lives of so many people around the world been affected at this scale or speed. Who knows where we go from here? Quoting from baseball player and philosopher Yogi Berra’s wise advice; “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”
But what about now? What about you? How has your life changed personally and/or professionally over the past year? What have you gained? What have you lost? Any “silver linings”. Any lessons learned? Any wisdom to be shared?
Harmonizing relationships for THRIVING workplaces | THRICE? trust model creator | Certified Facilitator | Effective Leadership and Team Cohesion.
3 年Thank you for this article that for me is an invitation to pause and reflect what has changed for me in this past year? Fundamental changes have happened for me, and I am fortunate to say that the losses I have endured have given me opportunities to grow - and I continue daily. I don't strive to be a "finished product", just a slightly better person than i was yesterday. Above all, I have fully reclaimed my power personally and professionally, and daily I am choosing to be a human being rather than a human doing. I was a human doing most of my life, ticking boxes across the scale, as if that would bring me a sense of self-fulfilment. How wrong I was! And by God did it take courage to look at it for what it was. I have no idea what the future holds - even the next 6 months - but I would not even play with the idea of going back even if i could. I see and can no longer unsee. This was the biggest gift to me in the past year. Thank you. With gratitude, Deborah
Veteran Aiming for an Unrestricted Lifestyle | Healthy Horsewoman | Holistic Bit and Bridle Fitting for Horses | B Corps Business | Speaker | Leader
3 年lovely and i hope that the good thing of Covid will be that we will all learn to slow down, appreciate what we have, that the 'rat race' is not healthy for us or the planet and that we really do need to appreciate all the small things.. thank you
Holistic Integrative Therapy Nurse ? Mindset Mentor ? Retired ER, ICU, Flight Nurse ? Neurodiversity Advocate ? TEDxSpeaker ? Keynote Speaker ? DEI Certified ? Best-Selling Author
3 年Yogi had a million of great gems, didn't he? Silver linings, yes many for me. Before that an important note for those reading my comment who've lost someone, your loss is very deep, please know there are many of us who are holding you up during this most difficult time. ???? There's likely very few silver anythings for you right now.?? Through the pandemic I've had the privilege of choice. I chose to return to the USA from my Medellin Colombia retirement, to provide a safe place for my 90 y.o. mom to live. She now resides with me, instead of struggling through the pandemic alone. I've had the choice to begin a new journey, a potential career as an entrepreneur using LinkedIn, where I've met an awesome community of incredible humans. I've begun writing articles which I've posted on LI & Medium, and have recently been invited to join Bizcatalyst 360°. Thank you Dennis Pitocco! I look forward to getting to know you and enjoy your writing. Journey well.
Servant Leadership Enthusiast | Coaching Titans with Strategy, Smarts, and a Side of Wizardry ?? Harmony-Driven Changemaker: Coaching and Leading Conscious Leaders to Rock the World with Purpose! ??
3 年Silver linings galore.... and a new way to think about Faith... https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/first-attribute-thinking-healthy-zen-benefiel/?trackingId=dfDjEwp6n8Nhq1g%2FBAS3hA%3D%3D
Ambassador at beBee, Inc. Global Goodwill Ambassador.
3 年pandemic is a nature's virulent manifestation and it is human's trait to fight against nature and in every occasion human capable to make nature tamed and emerged as triumphant! but human made wars are taking toll of human lives by human themselves and primarily driven by greed and like nature's attack. hence forth we have faith on our ability to eventually withstand against all odds posed by nature. lovely article Dennis Pitocco! enjoyed read. thank you for the share.