We will begin with a parable…
There was an old farmer in China who was wise in many ways. As the story goes, the man had one son and one horse. One day the horse escaped its corral and ran out into the hills. “What bad fortune,” said his neighbors. “It’s not good, it’s not bad,” said the man, “it is what it is.” The next day the horse came trotting back home, leading 10 wild horses. “Ah-h, what good fortune,” said the neighbors. “It’s not good, it’s not bad,” said the man, “it is what it is.”
A few days later the man’s son got up on one of those wild horses, was quickly thrown off and broke his leg. “Oh, such bad fortune,” moaned all the neighbors. “How can you be so sure?” said the man. “It’s not good, it’s not bad, it is what it is.” Not too long afterward, an enemy force invaded
the village and led off all the able-bodied young men. The man’s injured son was left behind. This time the neighbors said nothing, but some would say, what good fortune!
Can you see that sometimes we can’t see the big picture? What seems bad one minute can suddenly and inexplicably show itself to be something else. When what we are facing seems less than the best, we can adopt the position that there is something taking place that is a force of the times and will take us in a new direction.
The Chinaman learned with patience and trust - and over time - that good fortune often masquerades as bad fortune. He knew that a seeming initial misfortune could quickly become a gain - that what appears at first as a loss is actually a blessing, and that trials of fire ultimately can become the alchemy of gold.
We are a nation that is gaining a new perspective.
We are hearing the voice of discontent. Our choices clearly represent that we are in a new time, a new thinking and new arena. It’s incumbent upon each of us to know we are marking our place in history. We are in the crucible now and change is inevitable.
I am writing this article on February 28, 2016. I waited as long as I could to deliver it to my editor. I was hesitant to move forward with this piece because Super Tuesday will most probably be a game changer, and by the middle of March, our cover could potentially look different. The presidential race most probably will. And what is happy about where we are as a nation, about the candidates and the race to the White House?
You are reading the Happy Herald. The presidential race is not necessarily happy… actually it is quite disconcerting to many. The reality many are facing is less than the best. So what are we to do?
Change is in the air. We The People, individually and collectively make choices every day. Who we bet on and who wins the race will shape our lives and the lives of our children. We are the creators of our future.
Yes, we are facing a complex situation that is both positive in bringing change to a nation, and negative because it’s the nature of the beast. Politics is politics and it’s analogous to a horserace that has winners and losers, betters, bystanders, owners and breeders.
All of this is what we are seeing. The race is on, the muck is being kicked up from the ground and you, my dear reader, have choices to make.
Do what makes you Happy, make the best choice about what you talk about, what you focus on and what you share with others, and one day, I hope you will hear yourself say, “ Ah , what good fortune!”
Happy Herald and web site shall hold harmless Happy Herald and its owners, employees, affiliates, or other associated persons or entities, in every respect and without exception, for any information provided on the presidential candidates. The information provided was from Internet research on several web sites including, Wikipedia, MSNBC, USA Today, and Money Nation.
