The Indian Cow and the Swiss Cow are sitting together over coffee (2 sugars, no milk). The Indian Cow looks a bit thin, and the Swiss Cow looks a tad overweight. They are having a pleasant chat about different kinds of grass, sometimes enjoyed with a hint of lime, when Indian Cow mentions that he’s having a bit of indigestion in his 3rd stomach.
They both speak in much accented English.
Swiss Cow: Indigestion, my, I’ve never heard of such a thing!
Indian Cow: Surely you must be joking. Indigestion is very common you know. Sometimes, in my quest for food, I accidentally eat some cellophane along with my banana peel, and there you go: indigestion!
Swiss Cow: Quest for food? Where I’m from, I eat only the freshest grass, and the weather is so cool and rainy that the grass is always plentiful. I don’t ever have to search for my meal, it is provided for me!
Indian Cow: Really? That sounds wonderful! Is Switzerland
Swiss Cow: Um, I’m not sure what you mean.
Indian Cow: Well, haven’t you had the opportunity to see the whole country? To do as you please?
Swiss Cow: To do as I please? Ha, of course not! The man in charge has cordoned off a certain area of the hill, and that is where I spend my life.
Indian Cow: You mean to say that you’re trapped?
Swiss Cow: Well, not exactly… I have a schedule which I follow, and live within certain strict rules, but otherwise life is good, I’m treated well. Why? Do you get to travel?
Indian Cow: Of course! I can do what I please whenever I please. I can go wherever I want to go, in whatever way. I can even poop wherever I want!
Swiss Cow: But certainly you must be reviled, people must be upset with you!
Indian Cow: Not at all! In fact, people revere me, I am honored! Although, it can be a bit crowded, and where I am, there certainly is a bit more pollution…
…
The discussion continues until a bull walks through the door, and they start to giggle over the size of his horns.
Would you rather be the Indian Cow, free and respected, or
Would you rather be the Swiss cow, constrained but comfortable
?
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The ultimate question!
ReplyDeleteYou forgot to mention that the Indian cow is half starving, a mild limitation to her freedom. So what will it be; freedom to starve, or trapped but fat and happy? (Actually cows love to be in fields, even with a fence, what they don't like is crowded barns where they are kept in Canadian winters)
way to stick it to the man, mom.
ReplyDeleteps. Julien, what does it feel like to be a fat cow? (I mean, with all your experience...)
I'd rather be the big imposing bull ;D.
ReplyDelete- Gab
What Indian cows have little of, and what we comfortable people seeking freedom feel most constrained by, is the anxiety associated with breaking those constraints. To escape the 9-5, we must also allow ourselves to question where our next meal might come from, or if not our next meal, at least our next month's rent. We must also accept and overcome the constraints of ambition, of MLK's drum major instinct, and the expectation of ambition, the expectation of success - the overwhelming power of expectation that governs, constrains our lives.
ReplyDelete