There is profound wisdom in the philosophy "It is what it is"
I am sure you have all read this story at one point or other, either as a forward (which you probably speed-read and passed on) or somewhere.
Ditto with me. But recently I read it again and the deeper truth in it struck me, perhaps because I was going through a situation and maybe not reacting/responding to it the way I should have.
But first, let's read this story again together before we get to the takeaway.
Once upon a time (don't you love that beginning?!) there lived an old farmer. He had a horse. One day, his horse disappeared. Ran away. His neighbors sympathised, saying what bad luck that was.
The old farmer said, "Maybe. It is what it is"
Life went on.
One fine morning, the horse came back and with it, a bunch of wild stallions.
The neighbors were excited to see this and ran across to the old man, saying how incredible, and what good luck!
To which the old farmer responded, "Maybe. It is what it is"
Oh, by the way, the farmer also had a son, who was also excited about the new horses. He earmarked one stallion he was eager to ride.
So he got on the horse and the next thing you know, he was thrown to the ground. And he broke his leg.
The neighbors, (who really seemed to have nothing better to do than keep tabs on the farmer) said, oh no, this is pure bad luck. Now the son couldn't work in the fields. How terrible!
Naturally, our friend the farmer replied, "Maybe. It is what it is."
Time passed.
One day, the army came marching into the village. A war was on and the king ordered that all healthy young men should be recruited as soldiers to fight the battle. However, the farmer's son was spared, thanks to the broken leg.
The neighbors told the farmer how lucky he was that his son was saved from going to battle!
The farmer replied.... Oh you know what he said, right?
♥
So here is the thing.
How are you responding to life's events?
Is it all either good or bad?
Or maybe, it is what it is?
The takeaway?
Nothing is either good or bad. It is how you see it.Whether or not we agree, it is certainly something to think about, at least for some situations in life.
What do you think?
♥
Wednesday Wisdom is a series with short bursts of easy-to-consume wisdom in the form of stories, quotes, anecdotes, and humor.
