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Mencius - The Man & The Book
Mencius (372 - 289) was a wise and kind-hearted man who never compromised with evil.

When he was a child, his family lived near a cemetary, and for amusement Mencius often staged the rites which he saw in funeral processions or in burial services.  His mother said, "This is not the place where I want to raise a child."

Later on they moved to a marketplace, and Mencius began to imitate merchants doing business.  "This is not the place where I want to raise my child, either."  his mother said.

Again they moved, but next to a school.  All eyes and ears, Mencius naturally began to imitate the courtesies and study habits of the students.  Overserving this, his mother happily said, "This is where we live from now on."


The Lost Horse
A man who lived on the northern frontier of China was skilled in interpreting events. One day for no reason, his horse ran away to the nomads across the border. Everyone tried to console him, but his father said, "What makes you so sure this isn't a blessing?"  Some months later his horse returned bringing a splendid nomad stallion.  Everyone congratulated him, but his father said, "What makes you so sure this isn't a disaster?"  Their household was richer by a fine horse, which the son loved to ride.

One day he fell and broke his hip.  Everyone tried to console him, but his father said, "What makes you so sure this isn't a blessing?"

A year later the nomads came in force across the border, and every able-bodied man took his bow and went into battle.  The Chinese frontiersmen lost nine of every ten men.  Only because the son was lame did father and son survive to take care of each other.  Truly, blessing turns to disaster, and disaster to blessing:  the changes have no end, nor can the mystery be fathomed.


The title of this story, is actually a commonly used Chinese idiom or chengyu.  It literally translates as "Old Sai loses a horse".  Old Sai is the wise man in the fable.  The expression is used to remind others to take life in stride because things aren't really as good (or bad) as they seem.  Certainly seems like a wise advice for a society that lives only for the present
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