Is our situation terrible? Maybe so, maybe not…

A Chinese farmer and his son owned a beautiful stallion who worked in the family’s fields. One day, the horse ran away. The villagers told the farmer: “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!”

The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

A few days later, the horse returned home, followed by 3 wild mares. The villagers told the farmer: “Your horse has returned, and brought 3 mares home with him. What great luck!”

The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

Later that week, the farmer’s son was trying to break one of the wild mares. She threw him to the ground. The son broke his leg. The villagers told the farmer: “Your son broke his leg, what terrible luck!”

The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

The following week, soldiers from the national army marched through town, recruiting all the able-bodied boys for the army. They did not take the farmer’s son, still recovering from his injury. The villagers told the farmer: “Your son is spared, what tremendous luck!”

The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

What’s the moral of this story, in light of the coronavirus pandemic?

As our friend Albert used to say, everything is relative.

• A powerful storm is devastating for some. Yet after the fact, tree cutters charge to cut fallen trees, and then charge again to sell the wood.
• If you break a tooth, you’re miserable. Yet your misfortune helps your dentist, who in turn can pay a dental assistant, a receptionist and the dental implant supplier.
• When a pet gets sick, it causes anxiety for the pet owner. Yet it’s what motivates us out of bed every day, and it helps our team earn a living.

Of course, we are not denying the suffering a storm, a broken tooth, a sick pet or a pandemic are causing.

Some believe that everything happens for a reason.

Time will tell the good that comes out of COVID-19. Right now, the news and social media only share the negative.

Yet one day, the positive will reveal itself: those who serve (healthcare professionals, including veterinarians), tales of sacrifice, heartwarming stories.

So, is COVID’s glass half full? Is it half empty?

“Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

Phil Zeltzman, DVM, DACVS
Co-Founder of Veterinary Financial Summit