人間万事、塞翁が馬。1
I recently came across an ancient Japanese proverb that speaks to the balance between positive and negative experiences in life. As I’m currently navigating the job market, where entry-level software engineering positions are hard to get, and application rejections are frequent, this proverb provided me with some perspective after being down by receiving my latest rejection.
人間万事、塞翁が馬。
During a war, Saiō’s horse ran away into enemy territory, which could be seen as bad luck. However, a while later, the horse returned with a group of other horses, which could be interpreted as good luck.
With so many horses around, Saiō’s son decided to learn to ride them. Unfortunately, he promptly fell off a horse and broke his leg. It seemed like Saiō had bad luck again. However, the war then escalated, and many young people from the area lost their lives in battle. Fortunately, Sai’s son survived because he was home with a broken leg. Perhaps it was good luck after all!
The moral of the story is that the outcomes of good or bad events are unpredictable. Some unfortunate events turn out for the better, while some positive events turn out for the worse. Therefore, it’s wise to avoid excessive celebration when things are going well and to be gentle with yourself when they aren’t. No matter what’s happening in your life or the world, things will eventually turn around. We should focus on what we can control and not let external events dictate our lives.
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Footnotes
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ningen banji, saiou ga uma (All human affairs are like Saiou’s horse) ↩