Issue 29 September/October 2010
Good News, Bad News
“Bad times, hard times - this is what people keep saying; but let us live well, and times shall be good. We are the times: Such as we are, such are the times.”
---St. Augustine
Judging an unpleasant event as bad, or a pleasant event as good, is natural. But what if it’s more complicated than that? By judging, you prematurely close the door to a more complete view of the world. By suspending judgment you can keep the door open to greater understanding and learning. If you think about it, when do you really know with absolute certainty that an event is good or is bad? The following story amplifies this question.
There is a Chinese story of an old farmer who had an old horse for tilling his fields. One day the horse escaped into the hills leaving the farmer and his son to plow their fields themselves. When all the neighbors sympathized with the old man and his bad luck, the farmer replied, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”
A week later the horse returned with a herd of wild horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”
Later, when the farmer's son was trying to tame one of the wild horses and tried to ride it, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this was very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”
Some time later the army came to the village and took all the able bodied men to fight in battle. They left the farmer’s son because he had a broken leg. Now was that good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?
When we label things in our life as good or bad and hold onto those judgments in an inflexible way, we limit our vision and deny the complexity of life. Events are all linked together in a complex web that is beyond comprehension. Good and bad, and everything in between, are mixed together in ways that are impossible to sort out in any final, definite way.
Letting go of black/white judgments about events won’t make you less effective. You’ll still be able to assess what is going on in the present and anticipate what might happen in the future. And you’ll still be able to take action as needed. In fact, you’ll have access to a much wider range of options if you don’t judge prematurely.
If you want to be wiser or to be a better leader, view events with an expanded perspective. And look for both the upside and the downside of a course of action. Your thinking will almost certainly become more resilient and balanced, and you’ll be more equipped to deal with the next challenging event.
Action Steps
1. Think of an upcoming event that you hope will turn out a certain way. For example, the elections, or a competition you’re involved in, or a celebration you’re preparing for. Now imagine for a moment that it goes differently than what you hope for. What could be the upside this? What would you need to do to optimize the upside?
2. Bring to mind an unpleasant event that took place at least 5 years ago. Can you think of anything that you gained from this experience? Is there any wonderful thing that has happened since then that could NOT have happened if the unpleasant event had not occurred?
3. Recall a time when you made lemonade out of lemons. You wanted oranges, got lemons and made lemonade. Congratulations! What would have happened if you’d gotten the oranges and didn’t need to deal with the challenging lemons? Now ask yourself, were the lemons good luck or bad luck?
Whether it’s good times or bad times, you can live well and enjoy the abundance of what life offers. It depends on you. If you could use assistance in making your life work or in becoming a more effective leader let’s get together to talk about your challenges and what can be done.
