序章

The world is always changing.

What looks good today may bring trouble tomorrow; a problem that hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it will never happen; what is unclear at the moment doesn't mean it will stay that way in the end.

When facing change, people can easily misjudge things:

When afraid, they may see a shadow as a snake;

When suspicious, they may take ordinary actions as evidence;

When relying on luck, they may mistake coincidences for patterns;

When they hear others say something often enough, they may stop verifying;

When they refuse to admit a problem, they may miss the chance to solve it.

Every misjudgment can make what was originally manageable become bigger and cost them more.

This little book contains ten stories that follow a certain path: when things change, people are carried away by fear, doubt, and luck; their thoughts begin to differ from reality, problems grow, and costs increase; then, if someone sees clearly again, things may get better.

There are no standard answers in the stories. The characters make their own choices and bear the consequences; whether they see clearly or not can be seen in their actions.

If you find while reading that you, too, have misjudged things because of fear, doubt, or a reliance on luck—like the people in the stories—that is not a bad thing. Being clear-headed is not about never making mistakes, but about being able, amid change, to see that you are making mistakes.