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Tuesday, March 06, 2007 My mum told me and my brother a story last week. Quite meaningful so I thought I'll share it here. There once lived a king who had a very wise advisor. No matter what happens he will say "这是最好的安排" (loosely translated as "this is the best arrangement"). He also gave very good advice so he was respected by king and commoners alike. Wherever he went, the king brought the advisor along. One day, the king went hunting. He shot a wild animal and happily charged forward to retrieve it, without waiting for his retainers. But the wild animal was only injured, and pounced upon the king in a rage. His retainers caught up and killed the animal, but in the struggle the king lost a pinky finger. When the advisor rode up and saw the wound, he said, "这是最好的安排." The king was furious. He didn't understand why the advisor would say that despite his losing a finger. In his fury, he wanted to execute the advisor. But his retainers pleaded with him to spare the advisor's life, saying that he has been of great service to the king and nation. The king relented, but declared that he'll imprison the advisor indefinitely. On hearing this, the advisor said again, "这是最好的安排." "We'll see how good an arrangement this is!", said the king angrily. So the advisor was imprisoned in the deepest dungeons. The king continued to hunt, but without his advisor. His forays often took him to the borders of the kingdom, beyond which were savages and uncharted territory. On one such trip, the hunt went far beyond the borders, and the entire party was ambushed by savages. The king was knocked out in the melee, and and he came to he found himself tied to a totem pole, the only survivor of the hunting party. The savages, seeing that the king's awake, came up to him and began discussing his fate. "You have spared the right person," said one, "He's obviously of some status, and he's all plump and white. The gods will love this sacrifice!" They began inspecting him, making comments as they did. Suddenly one of them cried out in dismay, "Look, he's missing a finger!" Moans of dismay echoed through the savages. They had to sacrifice a person who was flawless, or their gods will not be happy. Reluctantly, they set the king free. Upon finding his way back to his palace, the king immediately ordered the release of the advisor. "I believe you now!" said the king, "My missing pinky finger saved my life out there. I should never have imprisoned you." "But it was, indeed, the best arrangement," said the advisor, "If you hadn't imprisoned me, I would have ended up as the sacrifice instead of you!" This story is a variant of 塞翁失马 story, and the message is the same: all things happen for a reason, and things also have an uncanny ability to turn out right eventually. So when you are faced with misfortune or unhappiness, do not despair. Some good might yet come out of it. =)
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