The Ox or the Cart (138)

Our desire to accomplish: grow, harvest, transport- exist, has steered our behavior since the beginning. We use what is around us to create and subsist. Animals, plants- nature, became less of the outside and more integrated into culture and society. The two co-existing and coalescing into life.

Beasts of burden, allowed for humans to evolve and adapt. Oxen have been used for centuries as work animals. They are used to pull plows and carts- called a bullock cart. These two to four wheeled vehicles, transport everything from crops, supplies and people.

Oxen are prized. Females are valued for milk, steers are trained until they are four, when they become oxen. They are chosen for their docile nature and strength. They are treated with respect, because their purpose is identified and valued. They are well-fed, bathed, protected. They are treated with honor.

Oxen have very thick skin. Hearty exteriors. So when they are whipped, it is not meant to be painful. Like a bee sting, it is felt, but it is not a source of extreme pain, but discomfort. But, the use of a whip is necessary, because they need prompting- like a horse balking and riders squeezing them with their legs or clicking them with their heels.

Oxen have been a means of transportation since ancient times, in many parts of the world. They are still used today, in places where modern automobiles and carrier vehicles, are too expensive or roads are not secure enough for them to traverse. The purpose and value of oxen in these areas, priceless. Owning oxen is still very much a part of the human existence.

Oxen are valued. They are a source of wealth and prestige. They are work animals. They are sturdy, yet willful. Strong and at times disobedient. But, generally they do their work with little outcry. The whip is not punishment, but a tool for productiveness. To get the work done with efficiency.

Oxen were so prevalent during ancient times, they were written as characters in Aesop Fables and Greek Myth. Different versions of the same, fable have been passed down throughout the ages. Different versions, but the moral is the same.

The oxen pulling a wagon were disturbed by the creaking of the wheels. Not seeing the heavy load on the wagon the oxen blamed the wheels for complaining.

or

A heavy wagon was being dragged along a country lane by a team of Oxen. The Axle-trees groaned and creaked terribly; whereupon the Oxen, turning round, thus addressed the wheels: “Hullo there! why do you make so much noise? We bear all the labor, and we, not you, ought to cry out.”

                                   Moral: Those who suffer most cry out the least.

Why am I focused on oxen and bullock carts? I read my morning Zen Desk Calendar and today's quote was-

When the cart stops, do you whip the cart or the ox? -Huai-Jang

I was struck by this quote. It sat in my chair and just read it over and over a few times. Thinking about the order of the words. The comma, the choice of syntax. 

When the cart stops. Does that mean its travelling over rocks on a stream and the wheel breaks- leaving the cart immobile? Does it mean on a dirt road, the back wheel axle snapped, leaving the cart forced to stop, in order to be repaired?

Do you whip the cart? Do you whip the ox, forcing it to keep moving, when the issue is the cart being broken? Do you assume as a driver of this bullock cart, the oxen is being stubborn? or, Do you loosen the reigns and turn around to make sure the cart is not damaged in some way?

Either way- I guess the main question is, has the cart stopped because of the willfulness of the oxen, or the fragility of the cart? Wooden wheels and precarious roads, where modern vehicles would struggle to pass, are precarious and maybe- its neither the fault of the oxen or the cart?

When I read this to my husband, one fully knowledgable about ancient transportation- the same information shared above-he had a different interpretation of the quote than I did. He reads a lot of history magazines and books, where I focus more on science and psychology- so his interpretation was focused on functionality and purpose.

My interpretation was more about practicality and cause and effect. My mindfulness background and studies, have my vision focused more on awareness and response. Creative solutions. One interpretation is not better than the other. Just unique perspectives. 

Why am I writing about oxen, carts and interpretation? 

We are on a road laden with potholes, large pebbles and puddles. We are in a place where modern meets legacy. Where we are connected in the pandemic and isolated in our minds and actions. But, we are all part of the solution. 

Our interpretation of this quote, oxen and cart goes much farther than the literal. But the analogy as well. It can apply to so many different situations we are facing. How we deal with the oxen and the cart is personal. 

                                  Moral: Those who suffer most cry out the least.

Ask for help. Reach out and talk to other people. Ask yourself- what do I have? Even when you feel dis-empowered. Create new paths of routine. Build up new muscle strength for new challenges.

Find your rituals, routines, mantras and flow. 

Feel the grief, loss and uncertainty. 

Express your emotions.

Accept the anxiety and find ways in which you can repair the axle, refasten the wheel, and ultimately nudge the oxen forward.