“A man loses his horses, and yet who is to say whether it is benefit or bane?”

It's a common Chinese proverb, and it refers to a fable contained in Huai Nan Zi, a Han Dynasty book of Daoist thought written by a prince of the imperial family and his group of friends.

The fable has had a long and varied life. It has been quoted, or misquoted, in texts and media from the book "The Biggest Bluff" by Maria Konnikova to the film "Charlie Wilson's War" written by Aaron Sorkin. It seems to me to echo the Book of Job in the Bible. It's applicable to the ethical theory of utilitarianism. And it helps us put into perspective all that goes on in the world of politics and policy, from the US withdrawal from Afghanistan to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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