The Story Of The Cow, When Your Routine Limits You

Routine traps us and sometimes it can even be limiting. But routine is also comfortable and safe, and we get used to it so quickly that we don’t even think about it. However, the story of the cow is one of those stories that functions as a wake-up call. An awakening to that which we do not notice in everyday life, but which influences us more than we think.

Thanks to this story, we will discover what that cow really means, what we receive from him and how dependent we can become on everything he gives us. But above all, we will discover what the cow is in our own lives.

The story of the cow

The story of the cow is about a wise teacher who walked through the field with his apprentice. One day they came across a humble wooden house inhabited by a couple and their three children. They were all badly dressed, wearing dirty and tattered clothes. They walked barefoot and their surroundings indicated extreme poverty.

The teacher asked the father how they could survive, because there were no industry or shops anywhere in that place, nor were any signs of wealth seen anywhere. Calmly the father replied: “Look, we have a cow that gives us several liters of milk every day. We sell some of it and with the money we make from it, we buy other things. We use the other part of the milk ourselves. That’s how we survive.”

The teacher thanked him for this information, said goodbye and left. When they were at a distance, he said to his disciple: “Find the cow, take it to the abyss and push it into it”.

The young man was shocked, because the cow was the only means of survival for the humble family. But he thought his master would have his reasons , and with great regret he brought the cow to the abyss and pushed it into it. The scene remained etched in his mind for years.

After some time the disciple, feeling guilty for what he had done, decided to leave his master, to return to the place in question, and to apologize to the family he had caused so much distress. As he approached the spot, he noticed that everything had changed. A beautiful house was surrounded by trees and many children were playing. There was even a car parked there.

The young man felt sad and desperate, thinking that the humble family had to sell everything to survive. When he asked about them, they replied that they still lived there, that they had not left. He ran into the house and realized that it was inhabited by the same family as before. He then asked the father what had happened and he replied with a broad smile:

The comfort of doing the usual

Perhaps, like the student, we are horrified at the teacher’s decision to push the cow into the abyss. However, this story is a metaphor for what we should do with what makes us so comfortable in our lives, but at the same time restricts us so much.

When the poor family was left without what they owed their lives to, they had no choice but to look for alternatives. But, instead of experiencing more poverty, they found a way to become more prosperous, something they could never have imagined. If the cow had never disappeared from their lives, they would have continued to live in poverty, not believing that they could get much further.

Many people appreciate that there are moments in their lives that, while painful and difficult, force them to leave their comfort zone in which they had made themselves comfortable and which they would not have come out of just like that. People seek safety, comfort, that which does not make them insecure. But when all this no longer exists, we can discover skills and qualities that we never imagined. As if they were slumbering beneath the surface.

The story of the cow is an excellent story that allows us to reflect on the way we live. Especially when we complain about our present existence. It is not necessary for a teacher to appear in your life to push that cow that restricts you so into an abyss. We can now look beyond the limits of our comfort and become aware of the potential we possess. Because we have no restrictions. We place the obstacles ourselves.

Each of us has a cow in our life. What is your cow?