April Con'fool'cius

So next week is Watson's birthday - April Fool's day to be exact. Fitting that. Anyway, sporting a winter's worth of new hair growth, and ever since realizing his birthday was next week, Watson has taken on a new persona. Up until now, I have been the only philosophizing goat I know of. Mind you I remain the only philosophizing goat, but for some odd reason Watson has decided he too has earned this right. For Goat's Sake! He is only going to be three years old. That's hardly enough years to earn him the right to eat Peanuts, let alone the right to philosophize. Oy. Okay. I'm not that much older than Watson, but mine is an inherent right.

Nonetheless, Watson has begun to emulate none other than Confucius. Who is Confucius, you ask? Well, he was this Chinese philosophy dude that lived around 500 BCE, give or take a few years, and went about thinking and spouting things about 'morality, social relationships, justice and sincerity'. In fact, Confucius was so sincere he could probably rival Linus' pumpkin patch.

Anyway, Confucius' words have lasted through the ages and still hold true today. So I suppose if Watson had to emulate anyone, at least he picked someone worthwhile. Still it would have been enough just to speak his words and follow his examples, but noooooooo, Watson had to try and look like the old dead guy.

This is Confucius:

This is Watson:

Look at that again. See the funky long, skinny mustache on the Confucius dude? Now look more closely at Watson:

Oy boy.

But you know, I've been reading up on some of the things this Confucius guy had to say. For example, I came upon one quotation, in particular, that really hit home. You know how you meet those people (or goats) in life that things just sort of pop out of their mouths? You know the ones. Those guys that say things like, 'Boy! You've really gained since the last time I saw you!', or ' Wow! That hoof trim really makes your butt look big!'. Yeah. Those people. Well, all my life I've been dismayed by that kind of thing. Other goats would sit back and make excuses for them saying things like, 'Oh, they don't mean anything. They're just one of those ones whose thoughts pop out of their mouths before they've had time to think.', or 'Oh, they don't realize what they are saying. They just blurt out whatever comes into their mind.', and my personal favorite, 'It's not their fault. They just don't realize ...' Why not? I realize, and I don't say things like that!

Well, Confucius had a little something to say about such matters. He said, "Straightforwardness, without the rules of propriety, becomes rudeness." Take that, put it in your cud and chew it, Ella!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All in all, I guess Watson and the whole Confucius thing is okay with me. He is a little slow on the uptake sometimes, but then so is the goatmother and she does okay (for the most part). So even though Confucius said, "Never give a sword to a man who can't dance.", Watson will still do fine because Confucius also said, "Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart." And that describes Watson very nicely.

Ah-so there.