Good Luck, Bad Luck

People associate good fortune and prosperity with luck, but as many have pointed out, luck is mainly a matter of perception. What is important is to understand that every adversity or seeming bad luck contains a hidden opportunity that can be used to advantage. This is best illustrated in this Zen story:

A farmer had a horse but one day, the horse ran away and so the farmer and his son had to plough their fields themselves. Their neighbors said, "Oh, what bad luck that your horse ran away!" But the farmer replied, "Bad luck, good luck, who knows?" The next week, the horse returned to the farm, bringing a herd of wild horses with him. "What wonderful luck!" cried the neighbors, but the farmer responded, "Good luck, bad luck, who knows?" Then, the farmer's son was thrown as he tried to ride one of the wild horses, and he broke his leg. "Ah, such bad luck," sympathized the neighbors. Once again, the farmer responded, "Bad luck, good luck, who knows?" A short time later, the ruler of the country recruited all young men to join his army for battle. The son, with his broken leg, was left at home. "What good luck that your son was not forced into battle!" celebrated the neighbors. And the farmer remarked, "Good luck, bad luck, who knows?"