Lean

Goat Karma: Today's Most Unexpected Thing

Avatar photo By Jon Miller Published on November 10th, 2008

An artists rendition of goats crossing the highway over a sky bridge:
goats crossing.PNG
Didn’t have a camera, unfortunately.
The funny thing about bridges is that if you build them, people will tend to cross them, once they have the need to get to the other side.
This is less true at the metaphorical level. We put our faith in untested bridges all of the time. The risk of physical injury may be small but the severity would be high. We balk at crossing a bridge between one person’s way of thinking and another person’s. Why?
Tomorrow I will take a camera.


  1. Zane

    November 11, 2008 - 3:55 pm
    Reply

    Where the hell are you, Good Man, that such observations could be made? I once wrote a poem about bridges. Your entry just reminded me of it. Structures engineered with hope and a goal, but – true – you’ve gotta put aside your fears and accept some unknowns if you wanna cross ’em.
    You pose a question central to the nature our humanity, i think. I believe that for many of us, the prospect of crossing a bridge to another’s way of thinking evokes an irrational fear: if we do cross, will we really be able to return to the familiar shore that is our comfortably unquestioned assumptions, biases, and world view. Fear of change again. Lots of little near-death experiences for the ego are needed though, if we are to live fuller lives every day. Natsukashii hanashi da ne. -z

  2. Jon

    November 17, 2008 - 10:01 pm
    Reply

    This was in Egypt.

  3. John Santomer

    November 19, 2008 - 6:42 am
    Reply

    This is no different than trying to learn to swim. The approach on the uncertainty of a new environment – water adds more pressure in getting in before starting to learn how to float or paddle. And yes, it will all make a difference on how the person will value the lesson learned before finally deciding on jumping in. Chotto muzukashii desu ne?

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