Eager to pass the time on a plane, an atheist engaged his neighbor, an old cowboy, in conversation. He boldly proposed they debate the non-existence of God, Heaven, and Hell. The cowboy, rather than taking the bait, posed a counter-question rooted in the simple observation of ranch animals.
He asked why creatures like deer, cows, and horses, all consuming grass, produce such different droppings. The atheist, trained for abstract argument, was completely unprepared for this practical query and admitted he didn’t know.
Settling back, the cowboy delivered his closing remark with quiet finality. He suggested that if one cannot explain the mundane workings of nature, one should be careful about making definitive claims regarding the divine and the eternal.
The exchange highlights a clash of worldviews: one seeking to deconstruct the cosmic, the other rooted in the tangible realities of life. The story suggests that wisdom often resides not in complex rhetoric, but in acknowledging the profound mysteries embedded in everyday things.
