The uncomfortable truth is goats are easy to love
People make you work to discover that you love their soul, and even then, you can’t be sure they haven’t crafted a soul that they think you’re looking for.
Goats on the other hand are entirely opposite.
Initially, they convey a high degree of indifference to your attempts at affection. Goats cannot be bribed and they aren’t inclined to unrequited affection.
Goats have a stubbornly transparent nature. They never ever think to masquerade as what you’re hoping for.
A goat, is a goat, is a goat.
It’s you who needs to adapt to the goat’s persona, and they most certainly possess a persona.
Goats are not simpletons.
Some people cruelly label them as, “not the sharpest tool in the shed”. This view of goats is unwarranted and spoken in ignorance of the fundamental nature of the species.
Goats have been herded for thousands of years and they have obligingly provided a high degree of comfort to the families of goat herders. Coats to shield against the coldest winters, milk & cheese full of healthy proteins & fats, cuts of meat to sustain the fiercest warriors.
And despite thousands of years of exploitation, goats remain amenable.
They actually cooperate in the process of being coaxed, spoilt and cajoled, until that fateful morning when they greet their herder, only to sense a different demeanor.
Despite getting their regular morning cuddle and kind words, today the goat has an innate feeling that something has changed.
His herder is avoiding eye contact and then a carload of people arrive who are talking with a level of animation that's troubling. Why are they so excited?
The goat herder and the people from the car all go into the house and the goat is left to ponder why he feels so uncomfortable with what he’s witnessed. The daily ritual that has comforted him since birth wasn’t followed today.
Yes, he got his morning cuddle but he didn’t get his morning walk into the pastures, where he so enjoys nibbling the fresh grasses and plants. Where he strolls around to find the sweetest of new growth, all the while in the caring view of his herder.
Something is definitely awry today.
In time his herder and the other people emerge from the house and then go into the shed; that mysterious place where his siblings have been taken and aren’t seen again.
He never thought too deeply about it, but now he feels a sense of dread. It might be his turn to be carted into the shed.
He’s now feeling a deep sense of concern. If it is “his turn” what will he face?
His nervousness has been distracting but he does now feel pangs of hunger. He’d normally have been munching on fresh, sweet grasses several hours ago.
Some of the men walk out of the shed toward him, but not his herder. Where is his beloved herder? The man he has loved all his life. The first person he set eyes on after his birth. The man who has cared for him and loved him.
These men he has not seen before. He knows intuitively they are not men that he could love, as he has loved his herder.
The gate to his humble corral is opened and three of the men approach him. The biggest of the men scoops him up as if he weighs nothing and walks back toward the shed.
The door bangs open and inside he smells a terrible stench. He doesn’t know it’s the stench of death, because he doesn't know what death smells like.
The men are gathered around a table that is stained and that he realizes is the source of the stench filling his nostrils.
He sees a hook and rope dangling from the rafters and wonders; is that a part of my fate this morning?
Things are moving fast, though the goat has a strange sense of slow motion as the man holding him walks towards the rope and another man places the rope around his back legs.
As he does this, the man who had held him now lets go and the goat is pulled higher so that his head is looking at the earthen floor, where he sees a large bucket has been placed.
The goat still doesn’t know what they will do to him. He’s never been treated this way, so rough and callously. Then his herder walks to him and gives him a cuddle and speaks softly, like always but for longer. Then his herder leaves the shed.
Another man approaches the goat and holds his head firmly, painfully.
The goat doesn’t see the sharp blade, but he feels intense pain that he’s never felt before. He cries now and realizes he’s never cried until this moment.
The men are very quiet. The noise of their talk that filled the shed has now subsided, it’s silent, except for a strange sound the goat can’t understand. Then he looks down at the blood filling the bucket. It’s color a beautiful deep red.
The intense pain has diminished and he feels like he’s about to fall asleep.
As his eyes close he hears the men talking excitedly.
About the Author:
Greg Twemlow is a Sydney-based Social Enterprise Founder | Startup Mentor | CEO | Writer | Speaker | Host of https://medium.com/consilio
