Of God, Man, and Animals

I first heard this great fable from my enlightened and extremely well-read car mechanic. It must be a part of Indian (from India) mythology as the monkey and sacred cow are prominent in this tale:

When God decided to make the man as a crown of his creation, He wanted to give the man companions and helpers. God created a lot of various animals, observed them in their life and behavior and matched them to the man's desired life and needs.

So God called upon the horse and said, "I want you to become the man's best friend and work partner in life. He will have to work hard, raising his own cattle and growing his own food, which will involve a lot of hard labor such as pulling and moving things around and taking the man to different places. I will give you 50 years of life for this. You will be loved, always taken care of and also always on alert as you know how to sleep standing."

"Oh, God, 50 years is too much for such a hard, albeit fulfilling, life. Why dostn't Thou take half of it back and I'll take 25-30?"

"It's your life," God replied, and granted the horse with 25-30 years of life.

Then God called upon the dog and said, "I want you to become a lifelong companion to the man, his true friend until you die."

"What would that involve, God?" the dog asked.

"Not much: simply protect the man and his clan, sit on his porch all day long, play with his kids gently, warn him of threats, and bark at every stranger. I'll give you 20 years of life for that."

"Twenty years is a long time for barking and sitting around doing nothing, God," the dog said. "Why dostn't Thou give me just 10 and take the other 10 back?"

"It's your life," God said, "You'll live for 10 years."

Then God called upon the monkey and said, "I want you to be a joyful companion to the man and his clan, entertain them and make them laugh by playing all sorts of tricks on him and especially his children. They would be delighted."

"What's in it for me, God?" the monkey asked.

"You will be always admired, the man’s children will make faces with you and feed you bananas, and they will give you the freedom to run around. You will never be in need of food, always taken care of. I'll give you 20 years of life for this."

The monkey scratched his head and said, "Twenty years is too much for tricks and just fooling around, God. Why dostn't Thou give me just 10 and take 10 back?"

"It's your life," God replied, "Ten years you shall have."

Then God called upon the cow and said, "I want you to be a true friend and provider for the man and his clan. You will give him milk, which he will use to make cheese, cream, and butter to feed his children."

"What's in it for me, God?" the cow asked.

"You will have a good, happy life, and the man will take good care of you. You will also be admired and respected, like a saint. Most of the time, you will be out on the pastures, munching on the grass. I will give you 15 years of this wonderful care-free life."

"Fifteen years is too much for the life of milking and chewing," the cow responded. "Why dostn't Thou take five back, God?"

"It's your life," God replied, "I grant you ten years."

Finally, God breathed life into the man and said, "I've made you the crown of my creation and given you these creatures to be your friends and providers. You will have to, however, raise cattle and work the land for at least half of your life, to get everything you need for yourself and your clan. I will give you 40 years to live."

"Forty years, and half of them to work, God?!" the man exclaimed. "That's too short, dostn't Thou think?"

God was taken aback by the man's greed. But the man was still His favorite creation, so God asked, "What do you suggest?" and smiled mischievously.

"Well, God, I overheard that the horse, the dog, the monkey, and the cow gave Thee their years back. Why dostn't Thou give those years to me?"

"It's your life," God smiled again and mumbled to the side so that the man couldn't hear, "But be careful what you wish for."

So, from that time on, for the first 20 years of his life the man grows and learns. For the second 20 years of his own life plus 20 years of the horse' life, the man works hard to provide for himself and his children. For the five years of the cow's life, the man shares his wisdom with his coworkers and clan members. For the next ten years, he entertains his grandkids. And for the last ten years, he sits on his porch and barks at strangers.