The same event, depending on the perspective applied, can yield entirely different stories. 

I want to share a story I heard while meditating, the famous story of the Zen Master and the Little Boy. 

A Zen Master in a little village observed people of the village celebrating a young boy’s new horse, commenting on how it is a wonderful gift.

To this, the Zen Master said, “We shall see.”

Later, the boy falls off the curse and breaks his leg, and the villagers say that the horse must be cursed.

Again, the Zen Master said, “We shall see.”

A war breaks out, and the boy can’t be conscripted because of his injury, and the horse is again hailed as a great gift. 

So was everything going right for the little boy? Or was it going wrong? The answer is, you never know what the future may hold, and how the course of events will play out over time. Passing judgment on the positive for negative of a situation at any point in time will likely be a waste of effort. This truly portrays the familiar saying of “it’s not over until it’s over”; and who’s to say when it is all finally over?

What I took away from this story is that we shouldn’t let triumphs get to our head, nor should we believe failures or setbacks are permanent.

To draw on the most recent and impactful example we have, let’s discuss Covid-19. Would you say that everything is going wrong? Or has this catalytic event set the world on a course of accelerated growth, development, and even in some cases, maturity (of our health care, political election, and education systems?)

The dire situation we have been in and are still dealing with around the world to varying degrees has also propelled a series of innovative changes; Leaders in different industries have said these changes would otherwise have taken decades for the transformation to occur. It seemed as if the digitization of bricks and mortar businesses and services took place overnight when collectively, business owners knew their business’ survival depended on a website and social media. It makes you wonder what took them so long if the time to implement change only took a week in reality?

Even the perceived worst-case scenario may take an unplanned twist. Just when you think every event is pushing you towards bankruptcy, you never know if this is a blessing in disguise. What if the rapid devaluation of your business suddenly makes its market price within the means of a competitor who has been eying your business for a while?

Similarly, if everything looks to be in your favour, you mustn’t let it get to your head, thinking that everything will continue on a positive trend; just like the markets, there are peaks and troughs, and one must be prepared for the bear and the worst. Even if it seems you are enjoying the best of best, a seemingly small and insignificant event could send everything tumbling down.

So, what perspective are you applying to your current situation? Are you making the best of a worst-case scenario?