NEW DELHI, Jan. 27 -- Long, long ago-nobody knows how long ago-an old man and his son lived in a hut on a mountain with their only horse. One day, the horse disappeared, and almost all the villagers on the mountain expressed their condolences for losing the horse, which actually helped them in several ways.

The old man thanked them for their concern but also asked them: "why do you want to say that this is a misfortune?" The villages had no answer. A couple of days later, the runaway horse came back home, followed by half a dozen horses. The villagers congratulated the old man. He thanked them profusely but also asked them, "Why do you want to say this is a fortune?" The villagers had no answer.

As the horse population grew, the old man...