The Goat Next Door

100 x 80 cm
ACRYLIC PAINT ON CANVAS

NARRATIVE SOURCE : Greek folk tale/joke

There were two neighbours.
One had a fat, healthy goat that was producing lots of milk,
the other neighbour didn't.

As the days passed, the man without a goat grew more and more envious of his neighbour and the abundance his livestock was bringing him.
One day, God appears to him and says
“My child - I see you are unhappy, tell me what it is you desire

and I will grant it to you.”

The man thinks for a second, and replies:

“I want the neighbour’s goat to die.”

This story is often referenced when an individual or a business
tries to eliminate competition in a deceitful or malicious way. 

OBSERVATION :   I believed myself to be more enlightened than the man in this story.
Sometimes, however, I still catch myself hoping that if my restaurant isn’t busy,

no other restaurant in the area will be busy either.

Exhibitions
A Week in Paradise 2024 (group show) Red D Gallery, Chania, Greece