The Old Man Lost His Horse
Once upon a time, there was a Chinese farmer who lost his horse. The horse ran away. Neighbors told him that it was unfortunate. But the farmer said, "You never know."
The next day, the horse returned, bringing other horses with it. Neighbors told the farmer that he was lucky. He said, "You never know."
One day, the farmer's son was thrown from a galloping horse and broke his leg. Again, neighbors told the farmer that it was unfortunate. He said, "You never know."
A month later, conscription officers came looking for people for their army, but they did not take the farmer's son because he had a broken leg. Neighbors came and told the farmer that he was lucky. And he said, "You never know.1
We never know what's good or bad because it all depends on what comes after. What happens to us can be seen as neutral. It's up to us how we look at it.
This story is originally from Taoist Farmer, written in Huainanzi. I made it short to encapsulate the essence.