I have long wanted to do a
post on a rather messy topic: human defecation. In some cultures this is a no-go area, or, perhaps, in most even.
It basically was in the rural European culture of my childhood. It simply was
not talked about, though no reason was ever provided. The taboo was just there
floating in the air as it were. Everybody who grew up there was aware of the
taboo, even though it was never explained. I see no reason for this taboo in
that culture, apart from the fact that it is a messy business. But at least we
acknowledged it enough to make provision for it. Everyone had some form of
toilet at their house, either in or outside.
In the case of our family,
by the time I was aware of such things, we had a toilet stool shaped like
modern flush toilets, except that this one did not flush. The product would
slide down a wide tube into a cement holding cistern underground right next to the
building. Twice a year a local farmer
would empty the cistern by scooping it out with a pail with a long handle into
a wooden tanker on wheels with a spreading mechanism at the back and pulled
either by a horse or an ancient tractor. The farmer would spread it out over
his meadow, where the cows grazed—and we would buy and drink the milk! Well, it was our own, after all! Today the village has a full-fledged modern sewer
system that automatically takes the product to a mysterious destination
somewhere. Residents no long have to worry about it. Taken care of. Though I
have left that culture since 1951, I believe they have loosened up on that taboo
somewhat.
Why do I bring up such a macabrous
subject? I have often thought about our
human plumbing system with a degree of admiration about how our Creator
engineered it. How it allows us to eat things that our bodies reject. When you
think of it, it really is quite an amazing system regardless of its messiness. And to think that a holy God would even
bother creating such a messy system that in probably all cultures is considered
filthy and to be avoided. This should teach us to be more respectful and appreciative
about it and not consider it such a taboo subject. Even the Bible is open about
it.
Not only did our Creator
design it, but it can generate humorous situations. The reason I bring up the
subject today is precisely that: humour. This week one of the great American
newspaper published the story about how the Indian government is trying to
discourage people from defecating all over the place, except in toilets. Here’s
the story:
India’s government has been
on a public toilet-building spree. Now, it’s trying to shame people into using
them. An aggressive new campaign ridicules those who are no longer poor but
continue to defecate in the open—a practice that remains common in rural India.
The advertisements mock the very idea that India is developing. The tagline says:
“Only the habit of using a toilet is real progress.” And the ridiculing is done by children. “Uncle,
you wear a tie around your neck, shoes on your feet, but you still defecate in
the open. What kind of progress is that?” asks a child in one commercial.
Another says: “you may have a smart phone in your hand, but you still squat on
the train tracks.”
Now, macabre as it is, I am
quite sure it brought at least a smile to your face. So, I have achieved two
things so far: I’ve reminded you that our holy God created this messy system
and that therefore we should respect and appreciate it more. Secondly, I have
made you smile, which in this grim world, is quite an achievement. I’m almost
proud of myself!
The way various
civilizations manage their human plumbing system is usually not just random. It
is often tied up with basic aspects of their culture. I hope to give an example
of that in our next post.
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