This Old Story - Fables and Folktales

A farmer's horse runs away and his neighbors call it terrible luck, but the old man only shrugs and says "maybe so, maybe not." When the horse returns with a wild stallion, his son breaks a leg taming it, and then soldiers arrive to conscript young men for war — each twist of fortune reverses the last, challenging every confident label of good or bad.

Show Notes

A farmer's horse runs away and his neighbors call it terrible luck, but the old man only shrugs and says "maybe so, maybe not." When the horse returns with a wild stallion, his son breaks a leg taming it, and then soldiers arrive to conscript young men for war — each twist of fortune reverses the last, challenging every confident label of good or bad. Rooted in Zen Buddhist and Taoist tradition, this deceptively simple parable lingers as a meditation on how little anyone can know about what a turn of events will ultimately mean.

What is This Old Story - Fables and Folktales?

Family-friendly retellings of fables and short tales from world traditions, followed by thoughtful discussion about choices, values, and meaning.