The world is filled with good and evil

The word “evil” has been a part of many conversations in the last few days. Evil is defined as profoundly immoral and wicked. There are several synonyms for the word evil including the word “vicious”. There is much discussion about what causes evil. Is it created by circumstances that happen in life or can it be found in genetics?

I have been involved with dairy animals my entire life, beginning in childhood. At times we found ourselves working with some very mean animals that could be referred to as being evil. One that I especially remember was a Holstein that never seemed to create a problem as a calf or young heifer. Then came the day she gave birth to her baby calf in a small lot next to the barn. My Dad was there to make sure everything went okay with the birth. The moment the calf was born, the heifer was on her feet attacking it and trying to kill it. My Dad managed to get a hold on the wet, slippery calf, got it away from her and rolled it under the barbed wire fence, while the rest of us tried to keep her away from them. She then turned on us and we had to scramble for safety. After a period of time, she settled down enough that we could get her into her stall in the barn.

Then came the task of trying to break her to be milked. My Dad had broken first calf heifers to be milked many times and he used a number of methods, always humane ones. My Dad had a lot of patience and he loved his animals. He worked with this heifer for several days and just could not get her settled down. If you got the milking machine attached to her, in just a few minutes pieces were flying everywhere and you were lucky to survive with just a couple bruises. The decision was finally made to send her to the beef pen at the local community sale. She probably kicked the person who bit into the hamburger she was made into!

Another registered Holstein cow we had that was good in both the show ring and in her production was also a problem. At that time we still milked by hand. We finally got her settled down so that we could milk her but with a rope tied tightly around her hind legs. It had a “slip knot” so that we could loosen it quickly if she tried to throw herself down. My Dad did not use the metal “cow kickers” that were available then, as you couldn’t unfasten them quickly enough. Once the rope was in place she stood quietly. My Mom, my Dad and I all had to use the rope when we milked her. However, my husband, who worked at a job away from home, helped us milk on the weekends. He could sit down, put the bucket under her and milk her without using the rope! We never could understand why him and not us! Cal Wilcox stopped in one day and asked for her as a consignment to the state convention sale. I told him he would have to take the rope along with her!

Both these cows were sired by a bull from an artificial insemination stud. He was known for siring daughters that were “temperamental” and could be difficult to work with. Years later I learned that his dam, a well-known show cow, was very difficult to handle and a bull ring or wire was kept in her nose! Another of his daughters, that I had purchased, scattered my brand new milking machine from her stall in the barn all the way to the pasture field gate one night when two tomcats got into a fight on the hay bale slide above her and tumbled down onto her back while she was being milked. Needless to say, we had to be very careful with her every time we milked her after that!

While I do believe that evil can be created by certain things that take place, I also believe that evil can be within the brain and a part of the genetic makeup. Not only have I seen animals with anger, hate and evil in their brains and hearts, I grew up knowing a man like that. He was filled with hate and anger. The only thing that kept him from being completely evil was his fear of the law and the consequences of his actions! There must be laws and there must be consequences for every evil act!

“Man is the cruelest animal”. (Friedrich Nietzsche)