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Kaldi and the Dancing Goats

Kaldi was a goatherd to whom all coffee lovers owe a debt of gratitude. One evening, sometime around 850 AD on the Ethiopian plateau, Kaldi was sitting by his campfire. He noticed that his goats were eating the berries off a nearby bush and, after some time, began dancing around. Curious about what made his goats so happy and energetic, Kaldi decided to try some for himself.

Popping a few into his mouth and beginning to chew, Kaldi quickly realized they were not all that tasty. In fact, they were terrible and he promptly spit them out. Staring at the half-chewed mush in his hand, Kaldi found himself confused and bewildered. After all, the goats loved them, and he trusted his goats (as only a goatherd can). Rather than giving up on his quest to find the virtue in the berries, he decided to take them to the monastery and get guidance from one of the wise monks.

After arriving at the monastery and gaining audience, Kaldi presented the monk with some of the berries, and told him about his dancing goats. The monk disapproved of their use and threw them into the fire. Standing there, dismayed and disappointed, Kaldi again reflected on the joy the berries seemed to bring to his goats and how they had danced through the night.

After some time, he began to hear a popping sound and an enticing aroma billowed from the fire. He raked out the now roasted beans, ground them up and put them into hot water and making the first cup of coffee. Kaldi then enjoyed his coffee, content in the knowledge that his goats had known the secret all along and happy that he had persisted in his quest to understand.

There are several morals to the story. The spirit of the dancing goat is about being acutely and actively observant to what is going on around you; suspending judgment and engaging curiosity. Where do you see happiness and success? What might be contributing to that? Particularly when the answers seem to make no sense and others might agree with that assessment, be patient in suspending the urge to cast judgment and persist in your quest for understanding. Good ideas are crazy...until they’re not.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Suspend judgment and engage curiosity

  2. Get multiple perspectives

  3. Use all of your senses

  4. Be persistent in seeking understanding