Getting the Most from Coming in Last

Some people just have the darnedest time learning from mistakes. Over and over again we suffer the outcomes of extemporaneous decisions and wonder why life has to be so hard.  Somewhere down the line,  life hands us a gift of time and perspective so that the "mistake" turns into a "life lesson," and further on, "a turning point."  How beautiful that our reactions and responses CAN change once our perspective on our experience has changed!  And still we wonder why we had to come around "the hard way" (and perhaps roll our eyes at others who learn --gasp-- by watching others!)

If you are one of those who spun chaos into existence just to have the experience of it (and marvelled at the ease, or boredom, of the lives of others) this parable is for you. It's called "The Worst Horse," a parable from a book called Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Suzuki Roshi.  And no, it really has nothing at all to do with horses, or being bad.  Distracted and chaotic we may be, but we are neither of those.
                                                               
It goes like this: "The best horse will run slow and fast, right and left, at the driver's will, before it sees the shadow of the whip; the second best will run as well as the first one does, just before the whip reaches its skin; the third one will run when it feels pain on its body; the fourth will run after the pain penetrates to the marrow of its bones. You can imagine how difficult it is for the fourth one to learn how to run!"


You see, the best race horse in the stable learns easily from its owner, is rarely if ever punished, for it can do no wrong.  It gives its best efforts every time, and can even anticipate its owner's commands.  How lovely for the owner to own such a horse!

The next best horses in the stable are the ones who can learn easily, but anticipate the consequences of punishment and pain to motivate it to action. There is little appreciation for anything achieved so easily.

The so-called "worst horse" in the stable is the one who has experienced first-hand the consequences of pain and punishment over and over.  They learn best by trial and error, pain and consequence.  They integrate the results of ineffective decisions and responses to the marrow of their bones. Learning anything deeply, then, is most precious when seen in relation to all the efforts made while doing it wrong.

Celebrate, then, your hard work, your mistakes, your ineffective methods! Imagine how precious your efforts will one day be.  Read the meaning behind The Worst Horse here: http://www.theworsthorse.com/why-v1.html   The Worst Horse blog is a really fun read, too.  Enjoy!