a cow and a pig...

If you put your own belief system into the following tale - who would you not want to spend the night with in the barn?

"While traveling separately through the countryside late one afternoon, a Hindu, a Rabbi, and a Critic were caught in the same area by a terrific thunderstorm. They sought shelter at a nearby farmhouse.
"That storm will be raging for hours," the farmer told them. "You'd better stay here for the night. The problem is, there's only room enough for two of you. One of you'll have to sleep in the barn."
"I'll be the one," said the Hindu. "A little hardship is nothing to me." He went out to the barn.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. It was the Hindu. "I'm sorry," he told the others, "but there is a cow in the barn. According to my religion, cows are sacred and one must not intrude into their space."
"Don't worry, said the Rabbi, "Make yourself comfortable here. I'll go to sleep in the barn." He went out to the barn.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. It was the Rabbi.
"I hate to be a bother," he said, "but there is a pig in the barn. In my religion, pigs are considered unclean. I would not feel comfortable sharing my sleeping quarters with a pig."
"Oh, all right," said the Critic, "I'll go sleep in the barn." He went out to the barn.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. It was the cow and the pig."


From The Tao of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff, Penguin Books
photo from here