Libre
been around a little
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- Today, 06:37
- Joined
- May 3, 2007
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- 660
In the new movie American Sniper, as explained by the young Chris Kyle's father - there are just 3 kinds of people: sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs.
The idea is this: The sheep are the vast majority of society. They are peaceful, gentle, productive, and kind. They could not harm another person except by accident or perhaps in desperation. Almost all of us are in this category. The term "sheep" is not to be taken as an insult, however much it may rankle your self-image. None of us really want to think of ourselves as sheep, but the reality is, when all hell breaks loose, most of us lack the aggression and the fighting skills to survive without any protection. We have a "herd mentality". We avoid danger and we believe there is safety in numbers.
Then there are the wolves - far far fewer in number - maybe 1 in 1000 or 10,000 are wolves. The wolves are the deviants who prey upon the sheep. Rapists, violent offenders, armed robbers, muggers, and worst of all the psychopaths - who kill and maim without mercy or a pang of guilt - they are the wolves. Again, if you look at the number of victims of violent crime as a percent of the overall population, wolves are a rarity. You have as small a chance of being struck by lightning as you have of actually being attacked. OF course it happens but acutally, you have little to fear from the wolves as long as you take precautions and act sensibly. But there is always the chance that you could be a victim.
Then finally, there are the sheepdogs. They have the desire to protect the sheep, and/or hunt the wolves. They have the capacity for violence - they might even like to fight or look for a fight - yet they don't typically harm any sheep. They are the military and the police, and perhaps some others such as prizefighters and firemen.
What do you think of this analysis? I know that for myself, though I don't like to admit it - I'm firmly in the sheep category. The only time in my life I've struck another person was in my childhood, and even then it was without the true desire to inflict injury. It would be nearly inconceivable for me to imagine that I'd every hurt someone on purpose for the sole reason of hurting them. I could not be a sheepdog either - lacking the fighting skills or aggressive nature that would be assets in such a role. I depend on the unlikelyhood of being attacked, and on the sheepdogs to keep me safe.
And what about you?
It's clear to me that wolves can easily masquerade as sheepdogs - and you see that when overzealous cops crack the heads of the meek. Once a wolf is "outed" this way, he is hopefully expelled from the ranks of the sheepdogs, but there is a fine line there.
It is also possible for a sheep to be miscast as a sheepdog. They receive the training and they might have the skill, but when push comes to shove, they lack the murderous impulses to be violent and therefore may fail at protecting the sheep. They also wash out from time to time.
So what are you? Before you answer, take a deep look inside. Don't answer based on what you think you WANT to be - but on what you think you actually ARE.
The idea is this: The sheep are the vast majority of society. They are peaceful, gentle, productive, and kind. They could not harm another person except by accident or perhaps in desperation. Almost all of us are in this category. The term "sheep" is not to be taken as an insult, however much it may rankle your self-image. None of us really want to think of ourselves as sheep, but the reality is, when all hell breaks loose, most of us lack the aggression and the fighting skills to survive without any protection. We have a "herd mentality". We avoid danger and we believe there is safety in numbers.
Then there are the wolves - far far fewer in number - maybe 1 in 1000 or 10,000 are wolves. The wolves are the deviants who prey upon the sheep. Rapists, violent offenders, armed robbers, muggers, and worst of all the psychopaths - who kill and maim without mercy or a pang of guilt - they are the wolves. Again, if you look at the number of victims of violent crime as a percent of the overall population, wolves are a rarity. You have as small a chance of being struck by lightning as you have of actually being attacked. OF course it happens but acutally, you have little to fear from the wolves as long as you take precautions and act sensibly. But there is always the chance that you could be a victim.
Then finally, there are the sheepdogs. They have the desire to protect the sheep, and/or hunt the wolves. They have the capacity for violence - they might even like to fight or look for a fight - yet they don't typically harm any sheep. They are the military and the police, and perhaps some others such as prizefighters and firemen.
What do you think of this analysis? I know that for myself, though I don't like to admit it - I'm firmly in the sheep category. The only time in my life I've struck another person was in my childhood, and even then it was without the true desire to inflict injury. It would be nearly inconceivable for me to imagine that I'd every hurt someone on purpose for the sole reason of hurting them. I could not be a sheepdog either - lacking the fighting skills or aggressive nature that would be assets in such a role. I depend on the unlikelyhood of being attacked, and on the sheepdogs to keep me safe.
And what about you?
It's clear to me that wolves can easily masquerade as sheepdogs - and you see that when overzealous cops crack the heads of the meek. Once a wolf is "outed" this way, he is hopefully expelled from the ranks of the sheepdogs, but there is a fine line there.
It is also possible for a sheep to be miscast as a sheepdog. They receive the training and they might have the skill, but when push comes to shove, they lack the murderous impulses to be violent and therefore may fail at protecting the sheep. They also wash out from time to time.
So what are you? Before you answer, take a deep look inside. Don't answer based on what you think you WANT to be - but on what you think you actually ARE.
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