On a long flight, conversations with strangers can take unexpected turns, and for one atheist, a simple question about belief systems led to an unexpected and insightful exchange. Sitting next to a dusty, old cowboy, the atheist decided to break the silence.
“Do you want to talk?” the atheist asked, aiming to strike up a conversation. “Flights travel faster if you engage in conversation with your fellow passengers.”
The cowboy, who had just begun reading his book, paused and looked over at the stranger. “What would you like to talk about?” the cowboy asked politely.
The atheist, seizing the opportunity, replied with a bit of enthusiasm, “Oh, I don’t know. How about why there is no God, Heaven, Hell, or life after death?” He smiled, confident in his ability to navigate such a weighty subject.
The cowboy didn’t seem fazed by the question. Instead, he said, “Okay, those could be great topics, but first, let me ask you one question.” The atheist, intrigued, leaned in to listen. The cowboy then asked, “A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same thing—grass. But a deer excretes little pellets, a cow makes a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps. Why do you think that is?”
@ericaboersmaA Flight to Remember: Lessons from a Cowboy I recently read a story that I found both humorous and thought-provoking, and I wanted to share it… An atheist was seated next to a dusty old cowboy on an airplane and he turned to him and said, “Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.” The old cowboy, who had just started to read his book, replied to the total stranger, “What would you want to talk about?” “Oh, I don’t know,” said the atheist. “How about why there is no God, or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after death?” as he smiled smugly. “Okay,” he said. “Those could be interesting topics but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff – grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?” The atheist, visibly surprised by the old cowboy’s intelligence, thinks about it and says, “Hmmm, I have no idea.” To which the cowboy replies, “Do you really feel qualified to discuss God, Heaven and Hell, or life after death, when you don’t know shit?”……
The atheist was caught off guard by the question. He thought for a moment but couldn’t come up with an answer. “I have no idea,” he admitted.
The cowboy, with a knowing smile, replied, “Well then, do you really feel qualified to discuss God, Heaven, Hell, or life after death when you don’t even know shit?”
This exchange between the atheist and the cowboy is a humorous yet thought-provoking reminder of the complexity of life’s deeper questions. Sometimes, the simplest observations about nature can lead to the most profound realizations.
