Or:
The Parable of the Wise Chinese Man*
But first, the obligatory links and a little clean-up from yesterday’s post…
I am super, super excited to learn that Stephenie Meyer’s The Host has been optioned and is on its way to the big screen! The Host is my favorite of Meyer’s books, and with Andrew Niccol writing and directing, I am sure it will be great.
On her blog today, Jamie has a great followup post to yesterday’s discussion. She wonders, how do we decided what is and what is not worthy of consequences? I won’t write a full post on this, but here is a snippet of what I shared with Jamie:
The consequences shown are those that stay true to the story. … Just as every person is different, so is every story and every character. Because of this, consequences shown (or not shown, as it may be) are different as well.
I agree wholeheartedly with the need to show consequences to actions, as long as they help propel the story line. That is part of developing a real story. What I don’t agree with is showing consequences in order to teach a lesson to my readers. Our novels should not be an outlet for us to preach our moral code to others.
Moving on…
The Parable of the Wise Chinese Man
Long, long ago, there lived an old Chinese man. He owned one horse and one acre of land. He had one son. One night, the gate to his corral was left open. He left the house the next morning to find his only horse missing.
As the man looked for his horse, his neighbors began to gather around. “That was your only horse,” they said, “what will you do now?”
“Well,” the old man said, “I haven’t decided if it is a good thing or a bad thing.”
They assured him it was a bad thing.
When the horse left the old man’s property, it ran off into the desert. After many days of searching for water, it returned home. It brought nine other horses with it. Seeing all the commotion at the old man’s place, all his neighbors ran over to congratulate him.
“You know,” he told them, “I haven’t decided yet if this is a good thing or a bad thing.”
They assured him it was a good thing.
Two days later, the old man’s only son went to break one of the horses. He climbed on its back and began the process. A few minutes later, the son fell and broke his leg. The doctor came, followed by the man’s neighbors.
“Oh no!” they cried, “he’s your only son. Who will help you run your farm now?”
“I don’t know,” he replied, “but I haven’t decided if this is a good thing or a bad thing.”
They assured him it was a bad thing.
Three weeks later, China went to war. Officials came to the old man’s town and gathered up all the able-bodied men to fight. With his broken leg, the man’s son was left behind. Later that month, the troops were led into a terrible battle and all the townsmen were killed.
I could go on and on and on and on, but I think the point was made. Sometimes, things happen that we cannot control and that we do not like. In the moment, it is nearly impossible to see the big picture, but things are not always what they seem. Sometimes seemingly terrible things change us for the better.
I am trying to live the best life I can. I work every day to reach my goals and achieve my dreams. I take charge of the things I can control and make the best of them. The things I can’t control? I deal with them and move on. I suggest everyone do the same.
