The Parable of the Bottle of Whole Milk

One day while teaching, Josh was asked, ”Teacher, does the quality of a relationship determine its validity?”

Josh spoke thus:

A chef and health director were standing in a kitchen’s walk-in cooler, looking at the milk.

“This is not milk,” the chef said to the health director, “You tell me it’s milk, but it is not milk.”

“It’s two-percent milk,” the health director said, “It’s healthier for our clients.”

“They are not clients,” the chef said, “They are people.”

“They are people who need diets low in fat,” the health director said.

“So they don’t die?” the chef asked.

“So they don’t die,” the health director said.

“But how will they know they haven’t died?” the chef asked.

“They’ll know they haven’t died because they’ll still be alive,” the health director said.

“Define alive,” the chef said.

“Alive is not dead,” the health director said.

“So by your logic,” the chef said, “They’ll know they aren’t dead because they won’t be dead.”

“It’s a simple argument,” the health director said.

“Let me define alive for you,” the chef said, “Alive means able to drink real milk.  Alive means able to mix real sugar with real cream.  Alive means able to cook with real butter, able to enjoy real wine.”

“That’s a narrow definition of what it is to be alive,” the health director said.

“I’ll grant you it’s more narrow than ‘not dead.’” the chef said.

“I want to keep my clients ‘not dead,’” the health director said.

“I want to keep my people alive,” the chef said.

“I can’t remember the last time I had a glass of whole milk,” the health director said.

“You’re not living,” the chef said.

“I’m not dead,” the health director said.

“That’s open to debate,” the chef said.

“What would you say if your cooking killed someone?” the health director asked.

“What would you say if my cooking prevented their being alive?” the chef asked.

The chef reached to the top shelf of the walk-in cooler and pulled down a bottle of whole milk.  He opened it and offered it to the health director.  The health director drank.  The chef took the bottle from the health director’s hand.  The health director reached for the bottle.

“Welcome to the world of the living,” the chef said.  The chef smiled and handed the bottle back to the health director.

The health director tossed the bottle in the trash and replied, “Welcome to the land of the not dead.”