I once read a Chinese folktale, The Lost Mare, and it has resonated in my mind ever since. As the tale goes, a boy living in northern rural China had a prized mare. One day, the mare disappeared. The boy was inconsolable. His father, a very wise man, said to him, “Son, you should not cry. How do you know the loss of the mare is not a blessing?" Sure enough, a few months later, the mare turned up, bringing with her a stallion. The boy was elated, but this time, his father caut