Is there a cow in our life that need to die?
Once Upon a Cow by Camilo Cruz, is a story about our own personal cows. The beginning parable is about a teacher and a student who journey to a small town, the teacher telling the student to look for the poorest home where they would seek refuge for the night.
The two men stopped in front of the most dilapidated little shack they had ever set eyes on.
The structure, at the point of collapse, belonged, without a doubt to the poorest of families. The walls stood as if only by a miracle, threatening at any moment to come tumbling down. Water filtered through an improvised roof, and all kinds of rubbish against the walls of the house.
The teacher and the student were invited to stay the night in the small home. A father, mother, four children and two grandparents, thin bodies, ragged clothes, sad faces and bowed heads left no doubt that indigence had taken root deep within them.
Curiously enough, the family had a most unusual possession. They owned a cow.
The animal was not much to look at, but the family's everyday life and activities seemed to revolve around it.
- Feed the cow.
- Make sure the cow's had enough water.
- Tie the cow up tight.
- Don't forget to take the cow out to pasture.
- Milk the cow.
You could say the cow played a prominent role within the family, although the little milk she produced was barely enough to keep them alive. It was the only thing that kept them from complete and utter misery.
The next morning, the two travelers set off to continue their journey. The elder teacher whispered, "The time has come for you to learn the lesson that brought us to this dismal place." The teacher walked slowly toward the cow, slipped a dagger from the sheath he carried.
The student watched in disbelief as the teacher sliced through the cow's throat in one swift movement. The fatal wound caused the animal to drop silently to the ground.
The story continues one year later when the teacher and student return to the home. They find the family flourishing and learn the story of how the death of the cow caused the change in their fortune.
We all have cows that need to die.
