Purpose
In Western society, we are often pressured to have goals, action plans, purpose. We must define things. Life must have meaning. Things must happen for a reason or be part of some greater architecture. The sage rejects these desires. This is illustrated in an old Chinese tale:
There was a farmer who owned a prize mare and people praised it far and wide. One day his horse turned up missing and his neighbors offered their sympathies to the farmer, to which he replied, “It is what it is.”
A few days passed and the mare returned along with a mighty stallion. The people of his town congratulated him on his good fortune, to which the farmer replied, “It is what it is.”
Later on, his only son was riding the stallion and fell off, breaking his leg. Again the people consoled the farmer and again he stated, “It is what it is.”
It wasn’t long after this that war broke out and all the young men of the area were drafted and killed in battle, except for the farmer’s son, who was unable to go because of his broken leg. The people of the town were astonished by the luck of the farmer and as always he simply replied, “It is what it is.”
The flow of events in life are part of the overall experience. They don’t have to have meaning to be valued. We may try and label them as “good luck” or “tragedies” but consider that they don’t have to be either. They are just experiences and they all provide opportunities to learn and grow. We should no more try to avoid one than to favor another.
Accept things as they come, be they a boon or a setback and you will find there is no need to assign them purpose.
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