While most people like you and me can be considered to be a little weird from certain point of view, there are some people who have taken it to another level.
Meet Thomas Thwaites, a former graphic designer who was so fed up with his life, that he went and lived like a goat in Swiss Alps.
Why he has chosen this life?
Thomas was tired of the problems a human being face every day, like a bad day at office, worrying about mortgages, growing old and household bills. He was not happy with a world controlled by humans where there are Syrian refugees and riches controlling the poor.
He wanted to explore what it would be like to live as a creature immune to the worries and frustrations—the "existential terror"—of everyday life, and to do so as authentically as possible with the technology that exists today.
In his own words:
“I was looking after a friend's dog, Noggin the Irish terrier, and I was having a 'what am I doing with my life' moment.
“I thought 'Noggin you are so lucky' and began wondering how I might see life from that perspective.”
“I tried to become a goat to escape the angst inherent in being a human”.
Why Goat?
he wanted to be an Elephant. However as he researched the animals he realized they have worries too and are thought to be one of the only mammals other than humans who regard death with sadness.
He choose Goat because they are calm and worry-free.
“But instead of the ferocity of a bear, or the perspective of a bird, the characteristic most useful in modern life is something else; being present in the moment perhaps.”
To live his life as a goat, he started designing prosthetic that will allow him to walk on 4 legs.
This was one of his early prototypes:
To help make his dream come true Thomas consulted a range of experts to advise on goat diet, psychology and physicality. He meticulously practiced how to move like a goat.
A year later, Thomas traveled to Switzerland to join a herd of goats.
Freed from the shackles of 21st century living , he had his new life – as a Swiss mountain goat where his only concern was where his next mouthful of grass was coming from.
Speaking about grasses, He also had to digest grasses that Goats eat. a feat which can not be achieved by the regular human digestive system.
He said:
“I knew if I wanted to live as a goat I had to eat like one and that involved grass.”
Animals have a digestive system which contains complex bacteria that helps them to digest grass. Thomas looked into creating his own artificial digestive system so that he could eat grass like a goat.
So he used to chew grass like a goat, but instead of swallowing, he used to spit it into a bag containing a sample of bacteria from inside a goat's stomach. the bag had an in-tube and a out-tube, from where the processed grass can be sucked out.
However, this method did not work and researchers who had advised him on bacteria, were concerned that he would develop a long term parasitic gut infection if he continues this diet.
So, he used a pressure cooker to break down the grass at the end of the day to eat it.
“It tasted like a really healthy stew but it was hard going.
“You'd have to eat a lot of grass to keep your energy up and that's what makes goats so amazing.”
Thomas spent £4,000 to build his goat exoskeleton and artificial digestive system.
According to him, the Goats have finally accepted him as a part of their herd.
He has also written a book on his journey. It’s titled: GoatMan: How I Took a Holiday from Being Human which is available at amazon.
The Goat Man
Sources:
Offcial website: THOMAS THWAITES
His book: GoatMan: How I Took a Holiday from Being Human: Thomas Thwaites: 9781616894054: Amazon.com: Books
News article: This Man Has Been Trying to Live Life as a Goat
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