Being In Flow And Releasing Expectations Of The Future

In anticipation of our upcoming piece on Mindfulness & Teaching Kids About Financial Health, we share with you Stephen Mitchell’s interpretation of chapter 74 of Lao-Tzu’s, Tao Te Ching. This is an incredibly light-hearted but powerful reminder that while we do prepare for the future (to the extent that we can), we can never truly tell how the future will unfold thus we must shed our expectations even as we avidly lay a foundation towards the unknown.

“Trying To Control The Future: Thinking that you know what is good or bad, what is advantageous or harmful. The Huai Nan Tzu tells a story about this:

A poor farmer’s horse ran off into the country of the barbarians. All his neighbors offered their condolences, but his father said, “How do you know that this isn’t good fortune?”. After a few months the horse returned with a barbarian horse of excellent stock. All his neighbors offered their congratulations, but his father said, “How do you know that this isn’t a disaster?”. The two horses bred, and the family became rich in fine horses. The farmer’s son spent much of his time riding them; one day he fell off and broke his hipbone. All his neighbors offered their condolences, but his father said, “How do you know that this isn’t good fortune?”. Another year passed, and the barbarians invaded the frontier. All the able-bodied young men were conscripted, and nine-tenths of them died in the war. Thus good fortune can be disaster and vice versa. Who can tell how events will be transformed?”