Chapter One - The Story of the Cow

The story goes that an old master wanted to teach one of his disciples the reason why many people live tied to a life of conformism and mediocrity and fail to overcome the obstacles that prevent them from succeeding. However, for the master, the most important lesson that the young disciple could learn was to observe what happens when we finally free ourselves from those bonds and begin to use our true potential.

To impart his lesson to the young apprentice, that afternoon the master had decided to visit with him some of the poorest places in the province. After walking for a long time they found what must have been the saddest and most desolate neighborhood in that region and they set out to find the humblest of all the houses.

That half-collapsed shack, which was located in the most distant part of that hamlet, must have been -without a doubt- the poorest of all. Its walls miraculously remained standing, although they threatened to collapse at any moment; The improvised roof let water in, and the garbage and rubbish that piled up around it gave the house a decrepit appearance. However, the most surprising thing of all was that eight people could live in that 10-square-meter shack. The father, the mother, four children and two grandparents managed to fit themselves into that place Their old clothes and their dirty and smelly bodies were proof of the state of profound misery that reigned there. Their sad looks and their lowered heads showed that poverty had not only taken over their bodies but had found shelter inside them. Curiously, in the midst of this state of penury and total poverty, this family had an unusual possession in such circumstances: a cow. A skinny cow that, with the little milk it produced, provided that family with the little food of any nutritional value. This cow was the only material possession they had, and it seemed to be the only thing that separated them from total misery. And there, amidst the rubbish and the mess, the master and his novice disciple spent the night. The next day, very early and making sure not to wake anyone, the two travellers set out on their way. They left the house and before setting off, the old master said in a low voice to his disciple: “It is time for you to learn the lesson you have come to learn.”

After all, the only thing they had achieved during their short stay was to see the results of a life of conformism and mediocrity, but it was still not clear to the young disciple what had caused such a state of apathy. This was the true lesson, the master knew it and the time to learn it had come. Before the young man's incredulous gaze, and without him being able to do anything to prevent it, the old man suddenly took out a dagger he carried in his bag and with a single slash he slaughtered the poor cow, which was tied to the door of the house. What have you done, master? -said the young man in an anguished voice, trying not to wake anyone up. What lesson is this that merits leaving this family in total ruin? How could you kill this poor cow, which represented the only possession this family had? Disturbed by the state of anguish of his young disciple and ignoring his questions, the old man prepared to continue the march. Thus, leaving the macabre scene behind, master and disciple set off, with the former apparently indifferent to the fate that could befall this poor family at the loss of their only possession. During the following days, again and again, the young man was assailed by the ominous idea that, without that cow, the family would surely die of hunger. What other fate could they suffer after having lost their only source of sustenance? The story goes that a year later, the two men decided to return to that place again to see what fate had befallen that family. In vain they searched for the humble inn. The place seemed to be the right one, but where a year ago there had been the humble dwelling, now stood a large house, which gave the appearance of having been built recently. They stopped for a moment to observe it from a distance and make sure that they were in the same place.

The first thing that crossed the young man's mind was the ominous feeling that surely the death of the cow had been too strong a blow for that poor family. Quite possibly they had been forced to abandon that place and now, a new family, with greater possessions, had taken over it and had built a better dwelling.

Where had that man and his family ended up? What had happened to them? How were the children fed, now that they did not have the milk of that cow? Perhaps the moral pain had been enough to break them. All this was going through the young disciple's mind as he hesitated between approaching the new house to inquire about the fate of the former inhabitants or continuing the journey and avoiding confirming his worst suspicions.

What would be his surprise when the same man who had given them shelter in his house a year ago came out from inside that house.

But this time, his appearance was totally different, the sparkle in his eyes, his clean body and his wide smile showed that something significant had happened. The young man could not believe his eyes. How is this possible? What happened here? He asked, visibly surprised. “A year ago, in our brief passage through this place, we witnessed the immense poverty in which you found yourselves. What happened during this time to change all this?”

Unaware of the fact that the disciple and his master had been the cause of the death of his cow, the man related how, coincidentally, on the very day of his departure, some thug, jealous of his cow, had savagely slaughtered the poor animal. The man went on to tell the two travelers how his first reaction to the cow's death had been one of despair and anguish. For a long time, the little milk the cow produced had been their only source of sustenance. Moreover, owning this cow had earned them the respect of their less fortunate neighbors, who surely envied not having such a precious commodity.

However, the man continued, soon after that tragic day, we realized that unless we did something, our very survival would most likely be in danger.

We needed to eat, we had to find other sources of food for our children, so we cleaned the yard behind the shack, got some seeds and decided to plant vegetables and legumes with which we could feed ourselves. After some time we noticed that the improvised farm produced much more than we needed for our own sustenance, so we began to sell some of the leftover vegetables to our neighbors and with this money we bought more seeds. Soon after we saw that we had enough left over from what we harvested to sell at the town market.

So we did and for the first time in our lives we were able to have enough money to buy better clothes and fix up our house. In this way, little by little, this year has brought us a new life. It is as if the tragic death of our cow had opened the doors to a new hope.

The young man, who listened in amazement to the incredible story, finally understood the lesson that his wise teacher sought to teach him. It was obvious that the death of that animal had been the beginning of a life of new and greater opportunities.

The teacher, who had remained silent, paying attention to the man's fascinating story, called the young man aside and asked him in a low voice:

-Do you think that if this family still had their cow, they would be where they are now?

-Surely not, answered the young man.

-You see? The cow, besides being their only possession, was also the chain that kept them tied to a life of conformism and mediocrity. No longer having the false security that came from feeling like they owned something, even if it was nothing more than a skinny cow, they had to make the decision to strive to find something more.

-In other words, the same cow that was a blessing to their neighbors gave them the feeling of not being in total poverty, when in reality they were living in the midst of misery.

-Exactly! answered the teacher. That's what it's like when you have little, because the little you have becomes a chain that doesn't allow you to look for something better. Conformity takes over your life.

You know you're not happy with what you have, but you're not totally miserable. You're frustrated with the life you lead, but not enough to want to change it. Do you see how tragic this is?

When you have a job you hate, one that doesn't satisfy your basic economic needs and that brings you absolutely no satisfaction, it's easy to make the decision to leave it and look for a better one. However, when you have a job you don't like, but that meets your basic needs, that offers you some comfort but not the quality of life you truly want for yourself and your family, it's easy to settle for the little you have. It's easy to fall prey to "give thanks because at least you HAVE something... After all, there are MANY WHO have nothing and WISH they could have the job YOU have."

This idea is a cow, and unless you get rid of it, you will not be able to experience a world different from the one you have been living in. You are condemned for life to live as a victim of imposed limitations. It is as if you have decided to blindfold yourself and settle for your lot.

We all have cows in our lives. We carry around beliefs, excuses and justifications that keep us tied to a life of mediocrity. We have cows that do not let us seek better opportunities. We carry around excuses and excuses for why we are not living the life we really want to live. We give ourselves excuses that we do not even believe in, and that give us a false sense of well-being, when in front of us lies a world of opportunities to discover; opportunities that we will only be able to appreciate once we have killed our cows.

“What a great lesson,” the young disciple said to himself. He immediately thought of his own cows, of those limitations that he himself had taken upon himself to acquire throughout his life. He vowed to free himself from all the cows that had kept him tied to a life of mediocrity and deprived him of using his true potential. Undoubtedly, that day would mark the beginning of a new life, a life free of cows!