The Book of Joy

“It just increases my own personal admiration for him. It almost
seems perverse, but one wants to say thank goodness that the Chinese
invaded Tibet. Yes, because I don’t think that we would have had the
same contact; we certainly would not have had the same friendship.” And
then, seeing the ironic humor in history, the Archbishop started to cackle.
“You probably would not have got a Nobel Peace Prize.” The Dalai Lama
was now also laughing as they poked fun at these esteemed prizes, as if to
say that we can never know what, in the end, will come of our suffering
and adversity, what is good and what is bad.
Certainly, he was not saying that the Peace Prize or their friendship
would somehow justify the suffering of millions that the Chinese
invasion had caused, but in a bizarre way, perverse really, as the
Archbishop had said, the Dalai Lama would never have become a global
spiritual leader without being chased out of his cloistered kingdom.
It reminded one of the famous Chinese story about the farmer whose
horse runs away. His neighbors are quick to comment on his bad luck.
The farmer responds that no one can know what is good and what is bad.
When the horse comes back with a wild stallion, the neighbors are quick
to comment, this time talking about the farmer’s good luck. Again, the
farmer replies that no one can know what is good and what is bad. When
the farmer’s son breaks his leg trying to tame the wild stallion, the
neighbors now are certain of the farmer’s bad luck. Again, the farmer
says that no one knows. When war breaks out, all the able-bodied young
men are conscripted into battle except the farmer’s son, who was spared
because of his broken leg.
“But to come to your question,” the Archbishop said, “I was thinking
as the Dalai Lama was speaking, about something that was personal,
although perhaps you could extrapolate it more generally. I’m thinking of
Nelson Mandela. As we said, Nelson Mandela, when he went to prison,
was a very angry young man, or youngish man. He was the commander in
chief of the military wing of the ANC, as we said. He believed firmly that
the enemy had to be decimated, and he and his comrades had been found
guilty in a travesty of justice. That is the guy who went in, aggressive and
angry. He comes onto Robben Island and is mistreated, as most of them