The Old Man Who Lost His Horse

This story comes from ancient China, where an old man living near the frontier lost his prized horse when it ran away to barbarian lands. His neighbors came to console him, but the old man just shrugged and said, 'How do you know this isn't good fortune?' Months later, the horse returned with a magnificent wild stallion.

The neighbors congratulated him, but again he replied, 'How do you know this isn't bad fortune?' His son tried to tame the wild horse, fell off, and broke his leg. More condolences from neighbors, same response from the old man.

Then war broke out. All able-bodied young men were conscripted to fight, and most died in battle. But his son, with his broken leg, couldn't serve and survived.

The tale teaches that immediate judgments about good or bad luck are often premature. What seems like disaster might be disguise.

The old man at the frontier didn't celebrate when the horse came back, and didn't grieve when it ran off. That measured stillness is what this stick holds up to you. Whatever has just happened in your work life, the promotion that went sideways, the role that was offered and then withdrawn, the colleague who got the assignment you wanted, the resignation you're still drafting in your head, you are being asked to sit with it longer before you decide what it means.

Most people reading Stick 70 want it to confirm that a recent setback is secretly a win. That's not quite what the verse says. It says the shape of this loss isn't visible yet, and pretending you already know whether it's bad or good is itself the mistake. The stick reflects a reader who is rehearsing the story of what happened too quickly, telling friends a clean version, posting the careful LinkedIn update, building a narrative before the events have finished unfolding.

Middle grade here is honest. Nothing is broken, nothing is delivered. The career thread you are pulling on is still being woven, and your job for this season is to keep showing up to the loom without yanking at it.

Hold off on the big declarative move for at least a few weeks: don't quit publicly, don't accept the rebound offer, don't burn the bridge with the manager who disappointed you. Keep doing the work in front of you to a standard you'd respect in six months. Tell fewer people the story of what happened, and notice which version you reach for when you do tell it.

Quietly update your CV and keep one conversation open with someone outside your current company, not to jump, but to stay legible to the wider field. The verse rewards patience that isn't passive.