Chinese Parable: 

An old man by the name of Chunglang, which means “Main Rocks”, had a small ranch in the mountains. One day, he lost one of his horses. His neighbors expressed their condolences for this misfortune. But the old man asked them: “Why do you think that is a misfortune? ”

And it came to pass that a few days later the animal returned, followed by an entire herd of wild horses. Again the neighbors appeared, this time to congratulate him on his good fortune. But the old man replied: “Why do you think that is good fortune?”

With so many horses to train, the son of the old man developed a passion for horsemanship.  But one beautiful day, he was thrown from a wild horse and he broke his leg badly. Once again, the neighbors expressed their sympathy and again the old man replied: “Why do you think that is an unhappy accident? ”

The following year, an Imperial Commission arrived on the mountain. They had come to recruit strong men to become footmen to carry the Emperor’s chair. The son of the old man, lame from his broken leg, was not selected. Chunglang could not supress a smile...

-      Excerpt from Herman Hesse, “In Praise of Old Age”