The goat which is doomed is the goat which eats the shepherd’s food.
Local Oral Tradition
He ate the shepherd’s food, so now he becomes the shepherds food. Out in the mountains, the shepherd doesn’t really have another choice. This proverb seems to be somewhere in the realm of “don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” Perhaps with an emphasis on avoiding the stupidity of shortsighted self-interest. It also makes a nod to the strong emphasis on fate and determinism in this culture. “It was fated to be so,” locals might say, shaking their heads at this kind of goat (or person) when their own actions bring about their doom.
Photo by Lauren McConachie on Unsplash
Entrusted to the Dirt 