Good Morning World. It is exactly 2:03 AM and I could not sleep. So I figured, why not blog.
Earlier today I read the article by Marvin Harris about India’s sacred cow. Since I have evolved as a person, I will not waste time bashing this system. I remember their was a time I would do that. I studied World Religions in seminary years ago, but this short essay provided another analysis for me. The Harris article allowed me to see the issue in two new lights which I will briefly discuss.
The first point I want to highlight is the fact that the cow or oxen plays a huge role in the industry society. By that I mean, the cows/oxen are so vital to the farm industry there. These animals are simply workhorses. They plough the fields, transport families and provide cooking fuels. Now that was the eyebrow-raiser for me. Your food cooking over manure did not sound so appetizing, but death by food was not implied. So I guess that works. That leads me to my second point.
This system is a way to conserve energy, or make full use of natural resources. If India was to modernize their system, it would cost untold billions of dollars. The cost would devastate their economy. I must admit that the United States could learn a ton from the Indians as it relates to conservation. So much of land and resources are put into livestock feeds. It is almost ridiculous, but we are such a consuming nation. Doing anything else would probably devastate our country. But I would love for us to learn more efficient ways of using cow.
In closing, I really do not knock the Indian system. I just wish that there was a bit more balanced. It is hard to see people starving, while the cows walk around untouched. That is just the hard pill for me to swallow. PEACE.
ofomarthethoughts 