There is an ancient Chinese story of a farmer who used an old horse to till his fields. One day, the horse escaped into the hills and when the farmer's neighbours sympathised with the old man over his bad luck,
the farmer replied, 'Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?'
A week later, the horse returned with a herd of horses from the hills and this time the neighbours congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply
was, 'Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?'
Then, when the farmer's son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer,
whose only reaction was, 'Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?'
Some weeks later, an army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer's son with his
broken leg, they let him off. Now was that good luck or bad luck?
Heavily-armed
troops parachuted into a Colorado prison, but they were not staging a daring rescue they had simply landed off target. Military officials said the 25 Special Operations Command forces were on a training
mission. Their target was Fremont County Airport but they ended up in a field in the grounds of Fremont Correctional Facility instead.
Thankfully, armed prison guards were able to identify the incomers as
soldiers and held their fire, but the defence department refused to say exactly who they were. 'We don't know who they were and I'm not sure we'll ever know who they were,' said the Colorado Department of
Corrections. 'Everyone acted appropriately.'
From the parachutists' point of view it could have been worse!
Police in America have arrested a man who robbed a bank 'disguised' as a tree. CCTV footage shows the man entering the bank with branches and leaves taped to
his body.
After patiently waiting in the queue with fellow customers, the man made his move, ordering the bank cashier to fill a bag full of cash, Sky News reports. Unfortunately for the suspect, a dye
pack inside the bag exploded. Also in a second stroke of bad luck, the man's face could be clearly seen by the CCTV camera through his foliage. He was later arrested at his home in Manchester, New Hampshire,
USA. See more bad luck stories
An accountant in Salem, Pennsylvania, has been charged with 'defiant trespass', which carries a two-year prison sentence. His
alleged crime? He spoke at a public meeting, objecting to a new sewage disposal plan, for 11 minutes instead of the allotted five.
A woman's husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months, yet she had stayed by his bedside every day.
One day, when he came to, he motioned her to come nearer. He whispered, eyes full
of tears, 'You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times. When I got fired, you were there. When my business failed, you were there. When I got shot, you were by my side. When our house burnt
down, you were there. When my health started failing, you were by my side. You know what?'
He that is afraid of bad luck will never know good. - Russian
proverb
I busted a mirror and got seven years bad luck, but my lawyer
thinks he can get me five. - Stephen Wright
It is bad luck to fall out of a thirteenth story window on
Friday. - American Proverb
I've had bad luck with both my wives. The first one left me
and the second one didn't. - Patrick Murray
Do you believe that getting married on a Friday brings bad
luck ? Of course, why would Friday be an exception? - Anon
If a funeral car passes you should hide your thumb. – Japanese
belief
A black cat crossing the street in front of you causes bad
luck.
A rabbit's foot, a four-clover leaf, or a horseshoe, may ward
off bad luck to the owner.
Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and
effect. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Luck never made a man wise. - Seneca
Some Superstitions About 'Bad Luck'
∞
Unlucky to walk underneath a ladder.
Seven years bad luck to break a mirror. The superstition is supposed
to have originated in ancient times, when mirrors were considered to be
tools of the gods.
Unlucky to spill salt. If you do, you must throw it over your
shoulder to counteract the bad luck.
Unlucky to put new shoes on the table. Unlucky to pass someone on
the stairs.
Unlucky to see one *magpie, but lucky to see two:
* Counting Your Magpies
One for sorrow, two for mirth, Three for a wedding, four for a birth,
Five for silver, six for gold, Seven for a secret not to be told.
Eight for heaven, nine for hell, And ten for the devil's own sel'.
Or more commonly:
One for sorrow, two for joy; Three for a girl, four for a boy; Five
for silver, six for gold; Seven for a secret, never to be told; Eight
for a wish, nine for a kiss; Ten for a bird that's best to miss.
Finally a Success Story
A farmer in Iowa has bred cows which are less than three feet tall. He is selling them as pets at
$1,000 each.
Footnote: Please send us your 'Bad Luck Trouble'
stories
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