On the northern frontier lived an old man known as Saiweng.
One day, for no apparent reason, one of his best horses escaped and crossed the border into the nomads' lands. His neighbors came to console him for the loss of a valuable horse.
The old man, with a calm heart, said: "Who knows if this might not be a blessing?"
A few months later, the horse returned unexpectedly, and brought with it a magnificent horse. The neighbors came back, this time to congratulate him on his good fortune.
The old man simply replied: "Who knows if this might not be a misfortune?"
Saiweng had a son who loved to ride. One day, while taming the new horse, he fell to the ground and broke his leg, becoming lame for life. The neighbors lamented the tragedy.
The old man, with a calm heart, replied once again: "Who knows if this might not be a blessing?"
A year later, war broke out on the frontier. All the young men of the village were drafted into the army and most perished on the battlefield. However, because Saiweng's son was lame, he could not go to war and stayed home, thus saving his life.
Saiweng was always able to maintain a calm heart to live through life's situations and learn valuable lessons from them.