Two years ago, while browsing social media, the phrase Cows Don’t Give Milk seized my attention, and I wish I knew who to credit for the original posting; however, the note in my phone listed the author as unknown. Fast forward to the present-day rumination on this story and I discover there is an actual book by this title. Perhaps I should investigate, but for now, I hope you will allow me to share my perspective on this story. But first, you need to know the story:
“A father used to say to his children when they were young, ‘When you all reach the age of 12, I will tell you the secret of life’. One day when the oldest turned 12, he anxiously asked his father what the secret of life was. The father replied that he was going to tell him, but he should not reveal it to his brothers. ‘The secret of life is this: Cows Don’t Give Milk.’ The boy asked incredulously what he meant. ‘As you hear it, son: Cows Don’t Give Milk, you have to milk it. You have to get up at four in the morning, go to the field, walk through a corral full of manure, tie the tail, hobble the legs of the cow, sit on the stool, place the bucket and do the work yourself.’
‘That is the secret of life, Cows Don’t Give Milk. You milk her or you don’t get milk. There is a generation that thinks cows GIVE milk. That things are automatic and free; their mentality is that if I wish, I ask…I obtain. They have been accustomed to getting whatever they want the easy way…The things that one receives are the effort of what one does [with our God-given talents]. Happiness is the result of effort. Lack of effort creates frustration.’”
I believe this parable (defined as “a usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or religious principle,” so I’m choosing to call this a parable, since Jesus, the master teacher, often used this teaching methodology) contains a great lesson for Emerging Adults about the secret of life (which was the original title for this post). And if you haven’t invested much time with college students, it’s a marvelous time of self-discovery, navigating relationships, figuring it out—now what would be remarkable is to share with them the secret of life, which is Jesus Christ. However, an additional secret might be that Cows Don’t Give Milk.
Personally, the message I desire to share is that we all must invest the effort and time into cultivating the Habits of a Flourishing Life, and college is the optimal time to begin this process. Perhaps, you’ve been blessed with wise mentors and coaches who helped establish healthy habits early in life, but if not, it’s not too late to start. Currently, I am witnessing this season more through the eyes of the parents, not just as a professor, where it is often easier to attempt to eliminate the frustration of milking a cow for students, but if they desire to drink milk, guess what? Someone must put in the effort. As excited as I may be for what college students are experiencing, I also know they are likely to gain the best life knowledge that only comes through the effort of walking through the experience.
So, encourage cultivating healthy habits, especially the Habit of Attentiveness and the self-reflection it demands: Who am I? What is my God-Given Space in this Season of Life? What is He asking me to put forth the effort for (a degree, a calling, a purpose, a relationship) that will benefit Him and others? And I want to encourage readers to embrace the mentoring role you may have, teach others to love the cow by helping her do what God created her to do—provide nourishment.
“Cows Don’t Give Milk, you have to work for it.” And it may Look Easy but that’s because we are seeing others model what they’ve learned through a great deal of effort and practice.
Perhaps you have another perspective on the secrets of life you’d like to share. Please consider offering your wisdom in the comments below.
Reference:
Mirriam-Webster. (2024). Parable. In Mirrian-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parable
Flourishing @ Life 
Great reminder to start off the semester!
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Cows don’t give milk. That’s right, you heard it correctly. At first when seeing this post I was also confused and immediately attracted to read it. One of the few things in life that I was confident to know being proved wrong right in front of my eyes? A must see! And surely it was!
Dr. Powell’s analogy of this mysterious origin parable really opened my eyes to the world around us! Cows don’t give milk by themselves because you have to milk them, you need to put effort and dedication in order to do it, and that’s brilliant! It’s just like everything in life, where in order to achieve results and accomplish your goals you must go for it. Things aren’t gonna appear on a silver platter with tea just because I really want it to, if I don’t plant the seeds I surely cannot expect a plant to magically grow out of thin air. Nothing in this life is gonna come for free, there is a choice for every action, therefore a price we must pay, and I think that’s exactly what makes them unique and valuable to us. Keeping that fact in mind can change our perspective on the world into extending our appreciation and gratitude for life and, whenever it feels like quitting, remember that not even basic things in nature such as milk come by itself.
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This is a great analogy to think about! Many people really do believe that they should just have things handed to them. This is a sad reality that we live in and I think we all need to change our mindsets.
This analogy is an excellent example of what young adults should think about going into college, or starting a new beginning in life. It helps us better understand that in the real world, not everything is automatically handed to you. I believe that when I work hard for something it makes me feel like I have achieved something great and it makes me feel good about myself. Rather than, just having something handed to you and not being able to say you did it all by yourself making you feel almost a little weak. Through my 18 years of being alive, I have realized that not everything is just going to come on a silver platter. I have to work for it. Acknowledging this can help humans better themselves and become a strong and independent person.
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This is good analogy for us students. we live in a world you can’t get nothing handed to you free, if you want to achieve something you have to put the work and effort into it and you will see your progress.
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This analogy is a great eye-opener especially for students and athletes. As a student athlete I can easily relate to the message of this post. The student part of me that might have had it a little too easy and been a bit too lazy during high school and been okay with just passing through every course realizes that to have the possibility of reaching the higher level of education he will have to take more time than usual to study and prepare since nothing will come for free.
As an athlete I also realize that to improve you must work even harder. As someone who was too lazy and weak at a young age to actually put in the work to significantly improve as an athlete. Having gotten older my drive for training has become greater after telling myself to be able to get anywhere it will be required. Even more obvious than with education as an athlete nothing will come for free. For example, as I am a soccer player I need to do the work on the field to improve my technival ability, but I will also though it might not be as fun have to do the work required in the gym to improve my physical ability since it is also important to be a really good player.
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This is a fantastic analogy for anyone but especially college students. Society has become a world where we expect everything to be handed to us without working hard for what we want.
Dr. Powell’s perceptive on this passage really spoke to me because I feel like there is way too many people that wants everything for free. I was raised to work hard for what you have, and good things will happen to you, and I have always believed that to be true. I will always work hard and put my best effort towards whatever I am doing, and I hope that others can see and realize that like explained in the passage. This analogy can really help college students and show them that they need to work hard and not expect their degree just to be handed to them.
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I love this analogy! Growing up my Dad would always tell me that life’s not fair, and he’s right. Some people grow up having to work for the things they had. These people often appreciated those things more than the people who had everything handed to them. To a young kid, this seems like the worst thing that could possibly happen (to work for your things). But as I’ve grown up, I have realized that it was a blessing that my parents made me work for things. Don’t get me wrong, I was handed quite a few things as a child, but as I got older I had to start earning them myself. It makes you grateful for what your parents or guardians did for you and for me, it drives me to work hard so that I can have the nice things that I care about.
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