Un Ane accompagnait un Cheval peu courtois, Celui-ci ne portant que son simple harnois,

Et le pauvre Baudet si chargé qu’il succombe. Il pria le Cheval de l’aider quelque peu: Autrement il mourrait devant qu’être à la ville. La prière, dit-il, n’en est pas incivile:

Moitié de ce fardeau ne vous sera que jeu. Le Cheval refusa, fit une pétarade:

Tant qu’il vit sous le faix mourir son camarade, Et reconnut qu’il avait tort.

Du Baudet, en cette aventure, On lui fit porter la voiture, Et la peau par-dessus encor.

En ce monde il se faut l’un l’autre secourir. Si ton voisin vient à mourir,

C’est sur toi que le fardeau tombe.

The Horse and the Ass
Original by Jean de La Fontaine
A horse and an ass were traveling together The horse carried little except his own tether.

While the poor ass beside him a heavy load carrying, He finally fell down onto the hard ground, almost dying. He begged the horse to show him some pity,

So, he would not collapse before reaching the city. “My request after all is very slight;

This load to you would be very light.”

The horse refused, thinking himself very clever But soon the helpless ass passed out forever.

Then the horse realized he was far from right The masters made him their new “ass” that night.

He alone pulled the cart through thick and thin, Including the new load of the ass’s skin.

We must always decide to help our brothers,

Because if they fail, it could be on our ass and not on others!

*****

My Reflections and Interpretations: First They Came…
This fable above definitely reminds me of the powerful poem adapted from the post-war confessional prose of the German pastor Martin Niemöller:

When the Nazis came for the Communists, I kept silent;

I was after all not a Communist.

When they locked up the Social Democrats, I kept silent;

I was after all not a Social Democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists, I kept silent, I was after all not a trade unionist.

When they came for me, there was no one left who could protest.

This is one of the reasons I aspire to pursue a career in international law and diplomacy as a way to fight crimes against peace. I am inspired by the work of leaders like lawyer Polly Higgins, who spent her life and life savings pushing for ecocide to become an international law; and lawyer Alain Werner, who brings perpetrators of mass horrors like Alieu Kosiah, a man who allegedly committed murder, rape, and cannibalism during the Liberian civil war, to trial in Switzerland under the principle of universal jurisdiction.

So, my reply to Niemöller: Inspired by you and others, I am gathering my weapons of self-reflection, wisdom tales, law, and diplomacy so that if they come, I will be ready to join forces with others to speak out and stand up. Better still, I am aspiring to work on making it impossible for them to come in the first place by helping to put up legal, political, and emotional shields for humanity.

塞翁失马

成语出处：《淮南子》

刘安（约公元前179年－公元前122年）

从前，在边塞一带有一位靠养马维生的老翁，人称塞翁。有一天，他养的一匹马突然不见了，邻居们听说后，纷纷跑来安慰他。但塞翁却并不焦虑，笑了笑说：“马丢了，怎么知道这就不是一件好事呢？”

几个月过去了，有一天，塞翁丢失的那匹马突然回来了，还意外地带回来另一匹好马。这件事轰动了全村， 邻居们听说后，纷纷前来向塞翁道贺。可是塞翁并没有

11.  Two STorieS: MonóLogo DeL Bien &塞翁失马

表现得很高兴。他皱起眉头对大家说：“这没有什么好祝贺的呀，怎么知道到这不是一件坏事呢！”

几天之后，塞翁的儿子骑着那匹新来的马，不小心从马上摔了下来，把腿摔瘸了。邻居们听说了，又来安慰塞翁。可是塞翁仍然没有太着急，他轻轻的说：“说不定还是件好事呢！”

不久之后，边境上发生了战乱，皇帝征调了很多青年人入伍到前线打仗，伤亡很是惨重，但塞翁的儿子因为身体残疾，被允许留在家里，侥幸活了下来。

*****

Sai Weng Lost His “Ma” (Horse is “Ma” in Chinese)
The origin of the story behind the Chinese idiom: Huainanzi, a collection of essays by Liu An (around 179 BC–122 BC), is an ancient Chinese classic that blends Daoist, Confucianist, and Legalist concepts.

Note: I did not translate “ma” to “horse” in the story because it made more sense for the reflection that follows, so please bear with me.

Sai Weng reared ma (horses) for a living. One day he lost one that he was raising

His neighbors comforted him with many condolences.

But Sai Weng smiled and said, “Losing one horse is of no consequence.

Who knows? Maybe this is part of a blessing.”

A few months later, his lost ma and a new stud were spotted returning,

His neighbors, this time, showered him with congratulations. But Sai Weng said, “I still have my own reservations.

Who knows? This may be a curse in the making.”

A few days later, Sai Weng’s only son took the stud out racing, The stud went wild and the son was shoved off from its muscles’ strong ripples

Hurt him so bad that he became a cripple. Again, the neighbors said they were sorry,

But Sai Weng said, “Please, my friends, do not worry. Who knows? It may well be his biggest fortune.”

A few days later, a major war was broken. All the young men were called to fight,

Except for Sai Weng’s son because of his plight. Many were killed in the terrible atrocity,

And Weng was right in life’s unpredictability.

*****

My Reflections and Interpretations: When Ma Loses His Ma
One day, a young man was perusing advertisements in the newspapers, looking for a job. He applied to many and was rejected for every single one. He applied to KFC. In total, twenty-four people submitted applications, and all but he got the job. He tried to be a cop. This time, five applicants applied, and, yet again, he was the one who did not get the job. He was told it was because his look was just too scary for the job. But he didn’t give up. Left with nowhere to go, he took a leap of faith and started his own small company. You may have heard of it. It’s called Alibaba. Sorry for the dry sarcasm. Yes, he is Jack Ma, currently one of the richest men on earth. If he had been accepted to a 9–5 job back then, he might not have taken the entrepreneurial route, and e-commerce, as we know it today, might not be what it is.

Then a few months ago, in October 2020, he was about to see the IPO of another company he co-founded, valued at $300 billion USD. I imagine he was feeling like Neil 

Armstrong before he stepped off his carrier: a step away from the moon. Then, according to some online news reports, he made a twenty-minute speech, roasting the anachronistic government regulation in China that suffocated innovation. In no time, the Chinese government stopped his IPO, and he fell from the moon back to earth. This was a sudden turn of fortune that few, if anyone, saw coming.

This reminds me not to give up in times of failure, and to steadfastly remain vigilant in times of success. In the fable, Sai Weng loses his ma, and in this story, Jack Ma also lost his ma (the “ma” from “horse” in Chinese sounds exactly like the “ma” in “chou ma,” which means “bargaining chips,” like ones used in casinos).

Un mendigo pedía limosna dignamente, y uno que pasaba le dijo:

-No te da vergüenza ejercer este infame oficio pudiendo trabajar?

-Te pido dinero -respondió el mendigo-, no consejo.

A continuación volvió la espalda, conservando toda su dignidad

*****

Self-Love
Original by Voltaire
A beggar asked for alms with dignity, and one passerby asked him, “Aren’t you ashamed to be in this detestable trade when you can work?”

“I asked you for money,” replied the beggar, “not advice.” Then he turned his back, preserving all his dignity.

*****

My Reflections and Interpretations: Judging and Being Judged
In the book Don’t Split the Difference, former FBI negotiator Chris Voss discusses many field-tested tools. The whole book is excellent, especially his warning that our assumptions and biases often “muck up our perceptual windows,” blinding us to possibilities and intellectual agility that are crucial in challenging and fluid situations.

The moral I take from this story, “Self-Love,” is that both sides miss an opportunity to communicate. The passerby judges harshly, assuming that the beggar is not sick, hurt, or burdened with other problems that prevent him from working. The beggar, acting similarly, gives a terse reply to protect his dignity, assuming further discussion will not be productive. In the end, the passerby spares his change, and the beggar spares his dignity. Nothing has changed, but both walk away somewhat dissatisfied with the encounter.

If they had taken Voss’s approach, questioning their own assumptions, the passerby might have found that the beggar deserved his help, as he had reasons that kept him from working. Similarly, the beggar might have found that the passerby had his own baggage, causing him to snap curtly. This mutual understanding could have led to unexpected benefits on both sides.

Communicating this type of measured response, I admit, is much easier said than done. I have declined to give money to healthy-looking beggars. I have turned a deaf ear to blunt advice. I have been both the passerby and the beggar. All I can hope for is to be a better version of both in the future.