Carson and Cow to Show

Every Labor Day weekend is the Shawano County Faith and means we get to watch our grandchildren join other 4-H youth showing cows for a day. The first time through the coliseum the cow is judged and the second time through the youth is judged on how she or he handles the cow. It might not sound too exciting but it is watching your grandchildren and youth you know stand proud with their cows.

My son and his wife both work in an urban town by live in a rural area across from a family with a Dairy farm. Rural youth these days have the advantage of both worlds, urban and country. They belong to country 4-H clubs, attend excellent schools where full array of sports and extracurricular activities are available and have friends growing up like them. My son and his wife work hard to keep up the lifestyle the family enjoys but the opportunities and environment is beyond so many families in USA, especially in our poor and segregated urban areas, like North Central Milwaukee.

It has become harder and harder to be poor and harder and harder to be like my son’s family. Yet at same time there are a very small percentage of people who are become extraordinarily rich and the gap of inequality between them and my son’s family and a family in need in North Central Milwaukee widens.

I recently read a quote on Facebook page by the Pope saying: “Inequality is the root of social evils.” Someone criticized the quote saying this statement has been around for hundreds of years. Actually it has been around for thousands of years. I remember hearing about a 30 year old homeless Palestinian Jew walking around saying how the rich were blessed and how hard it was for the rich to get to Kingdom of Heaven. He, Jesus, eventually got executed by empire of the day but his message, like prophets before and after him, lives on. Yet many bow down at the altar of greedy capitalism where some profit at expense of others and rich get richer and poor get poorer.

I know some believe we live in a land free of racism, sexism, discrimination and many believe there is nothing we can do about it. Yet for some we must continue to fight for peace and liberty no matter the rejection or marginalization. How to do this in an economic greedy environment? Gandhi says the one condition for fighting for peace and liberty is to acquire self-restrain.” By changing ourselves with use of self-restraint we can change the environment.

Cows are a symbol of life, that when nurtured present nourishment for life, be it with milk, meat, manure for fertilization or medicine. We can learn from the cow and by using our powers of self-restraint condition ourselves for the struggle of life.

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