“Maybe”: A Simple Story about Non-Judgement

Don’t be so quick to judge. Better yet, try not to judge at all.

This is a short story about non-judgement. I’ve heard iterations of this story, but I most recently came across it in Eckhart Tolle’s book A New Earth.

A Simple Story about Non-Judgement

“This is illustrated in the story of a wise man who won an expensive car in a lottery.

His family and friends were very happy for him and came to celebrate. ‘Isn’t it great!’ they said. ‘You are so lucky.’ The man smiled and said ‘Maybe.’

For a few weeks he enjoyed driving the car. Then one day a drunken driver crashed into his new car at an intersection and he ended up in the hospital, with multiple injuries. His family and friends came to see him and said, ‘That was really unfortunate.’ Again the man smiled and said, ‘Maybe.’

While he was still in the hospital, one night there was a landslide and his house fell into the sea. Again his friends came the next day and said, ‘Weren’t you lucky to have been here in hospital.’ Again he said, ‘Maybe.’

The Moral(s) of the Story

Don’t be so quick to place a label of “good” or “bad” on the things that happen in your life. After all, you don’t know what will happen next. The wise man knows this, and his response of “maybe” shows his refusal to judge.

Instead of judging what is, he accepts it and so enters into conscious alignment with the higher order. He knows that often it is impossible for the mind to understand what place or purpose a seemingly random event has in the tapestry of the whole. — Eckhart Tolle

Impermanence is a word that I’m running across more and more. Just remember, everything is temporary, and “this too shall pass.”

I’m a big fan of simple stories like this one and the story of the tourist and the fisherman. You can check out more simple stories here.

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