1219. GOAT No.3

Mandya in my state Karnataka is a place which is vibrant in agricultural activities. It is one of the region which is green with vegetation. The K.R.S dam provides all the water needed for irrigation. Major cultivation is Sugarcane and Paddy. It is 100 Kms from the state commercial capital Bengaluru and 50 Kms away from the cultural capital Mysore. Sugar factories contribute to the major economic output of the state. Hence this place is called “Sakkare Nadu" (Sugar Territory). People residing here are also like Sugarcane sweet but fibrous. Though the Kannada they speak is rough like the fibres in the sugarcane the content is as juicy and sweet as cane juice. 

The youth of the region are always joyful and jubilant. They are used to playing pranks and being mischievous with the new face in the town. The number of hours they spend more in the compound of the college is more than the time they sit in the classroom. 

One evening a group of college students had a crazy idea. They rounded up three goats from the neighbourhood and painted the number 1, 2 and 4 on the side of each goat. Purposefully they left out the number 3. That night they let the goats loose inside their college building with a sack full of leaves from shrubs for the three goats to much on the whole night.

The next morning, when the authorities entered the college the wrenching smell of urine and dung hit their nose hard. They knew some cattle had strayed inside the campus. One of the attendants saw the goat droppings on the stairs and near the entrance and realized that some goats had entered the building.

A search was immediately launched and very soon three goats were caught and tied to the pole. Goat No.1, Goat No. 2 and Goat No. 4 was there but the authorities were wondering and bit worried as to where was goat No. 3? Amazingly none of those searching for Goat No.3 anticipated the possibility of Goat No.5. Since they had Goat No. 4 they were sure of Goat No.3. They all spent the rest of the day looking for goat No.3.

Gradually there was panic and frustration. The college declared classes off for the students for the rest of the day. The lecturers, readers, security guards, canteen staffs, students both girls and boys were all busy looking for the Goat No. 3 which of course, was never found as it simply never existed.

It is not just those people who went after Goat No.3 there are many among us who inspite of having a good life are always feeling a “lack of contentment”  looking for the elusive, missing, non-existent Goat No.3. This is a syndrome called “Missing Tile Syndrome” it is trying to attain what is not in life rather than enjoying what us already got.

Whatever the area of complaint or search or dissatisfaction be it relationship, job or materialistic achievement. An absence of something is always larger than  the presence of many other things.
The best way to avoid lamenting on the missing tile is to do a balance sheet of life. The chances are that if you are ones among those reading this write-up you are better off than 98% of the population right away. 

So don't worrying about Goat No.3 just chill and enjoy.