Sheep.
Of late that word has bad connotations. You hear it said derisively by TV and radio talk show hosts who almost spit out the word in disgust as if being a sheep were somehow bad. What these hosts forget is that if there were no sheep, there would be no need for sheepdogs.
You see, a sheep’s only jobs are to grow wool, make more sheep to grow more wool, and run when told to. Wool is a great product that is used around the world. So, being a sheep is not a bad thing. That is not to say that sheep do not have their limitations. But what are those? Some say it is that sheep pretend wolves are not coming. This is not true. Sheep do not even know wolves exist until they are almost at them...and then they quickly forget about them when they are gone.
But sheepdogs do know wolves exist.
Therefore, Job #1 for the sheepdog is keeping on the lookout for attacks by the wolf pack and then taking definitive action when trouble is spotted. Wolves don’t hunt sheepdogs, but they do recognize their power and tenacity. Wolves don’t want to tangle with a sheepdog because the sheepdog has one goal: Kill the wolf or drive it away from that which it protects.
The sheepdog never asks a wolf to change its ways because it knows the wolf will never change its nature, but the wolf does recognize the staying hand of the power embodied in sheepdogs. However…
Many of these sheepdog talk show hosts have one limitation.
These hosts who act as sheepdogs are making an assumption about much of the population. They assume these “sheep” can change their nature and become a sheepdog themselves. In this they are incorrect and are wasting a lot of their on-air time by complaining about those “sheep” not being sheepdogs like themselves. To those I say, “Stop it! Focus! Stop wasting your time and energy beating your head against the wall. Find other sheepdogs and train them.”
Sheep are led. Sheep are herded. Sheep are easily confused when not given explicit orders. Sheep get lost. Even Jesus Christ himself said there is more rejoicing over the one found lost sheep than there on the ninety-nine that weren’t lost. Sheep are innocently naïve; some more so than others. Jesus never expected more of those sheep than they had to give. He didn’t appoint all as apostles, did he?
There are leaders and there are followers. Both are needed. Neither is better than the other. They each have a role to play. But I can see how the sheepdogs in any age of trouble and strife can get frustrated.
“How can you not see Evil?”
There are those among us who can spot Evil in an instant. We see it coming long before anyone else. We see it arrive. We see it set up its dirty works and we holler and scream and point and plan and prepare for the fight as we are ignored, told to hush, and are laughed at. Ignored, hushed, and laughed at, that is, until the trouble hits and we are looked to for help and guidance.
We are befuddled at how something so clear cannot be seen by most people. At such a time the sheepdog can do one of two things. It can wring its hands in frustration and say self-righteously, “See? Ya just wouldn’t believe me, would ya? Well, you are on your own, sweet cheeks.” Then leave them to be torn apart by the wolves.
Or the sheepdog can do what a sheepdog should: Protect by circling the flock into a solid mass, then baring the fangs to show the wolves who is boss. Then after the threat is gone, the sheep can get back to their eating, working, and making babies.
It never behooves the sheepdog to get mad at the sheep. Sheep don’t know Evil exists and never will. Still, the sheepdog never gets frustrated and leaves the sheep. And it never forgets the wolf.
Understanding those who “care” who say you don’t.
Are you a sheepdog? Have you found yourself being told by people that you are too hard? Uncaring? Mean?
I have. My entire life I’ve been the sheepdog everywhere I go. This is my nature and it will never change. I am best in an emergency. With a glance, I see the entire situation, take in all the pertinent information about others in the same emergency, clarify that information, then categorize and prioritize needs, after which I take definitive actions, marshal resources on the scene, and give orders until first responders show up.
People, including first responders, always assume I am an off-duty first responder or former military. I’m not. I’m just a sheepdog that does what needs to be done when it needs to be done. Or, as we say in the South, we simply “gitterdun”.
All these “caring” folks who don’t like our sheepdog ways are the first to look to us when trouble arrives. A true sheepdog doesn’t fuss at the sheep, they protect and serve.
I learned this the hard way because while I am a sheepdog by nature, I found I was also limited in my belief that sheep could change their natures. Once I accepted that natures do not change, I was then able to modify my response to those sheep in a way they could understand. [Admittedly, I am still working on this.]
So when they call me bossy, mean, uncaring, and hard as I point out the coming of Evil and the best response to it, I simply say the following…and it seems to work just about every single time —
“You are a good person who does not understand Evil and that it will use guile and manipulation no matter what. That’s what I like about you…your innocence. I, on the other hand, do understand Evil and have always been able to see its games. I know that is what frustrates you about me.”
A response such as that seems to calm the self-identifed sheep-like person who, in actual point of fact, is confused. That statement quickly clarifies what they are experiencing and acknowledges that their response to me is not wrong. Further, they see they are understood. Now, their minds are not in a defensive state, but become receptive to new information. Sheepdogs don’t fight with sheep.
Sheep only move quickly when startled into a response.
The natural state of sheep is eating, working, and making babies. They should only be startled by the sheepdog when danger is near. Otherwise, the sheepdog most wants to meet the enemy away from the flock and open up a can of whuppass while the sheep keep doing what sheep do. We don’t want to be the boy who cried wolf just to get attention on himself. True sheepdogs are not drama queens.
Evil never quits and it never surrenders; it merely hunkers down for the next attack and keeps its eyes on its prey.
Sheepdogs know this and never take their eyes off Evil. At this time across the nation we are seeing more and more self-identify as sheepdogs: Mothers and fathers speaking up to school boards about their evil, child-abusing ways. People walking off jobs when threatened with loss of bodily autonomy and corporations being sued by employees for forcing medical treatments down their throats. People not willing to show vaccine mandates and entertainers cancelling shows at venues that require them. States standing up to Federal overreach. Citizen Journalists like myself and Ann Corcoran who research and write to share information and viewpoints that speak to Good and shine a light on the dark places favored by Evil. And there are more examples.
We sheepdogs are not alone and have a God-given right to act on behalf of sheep.
Whether in families, neighborhood, communities, counties, states, or nations, sheepdogs are the staying hand telling Evil “no further”.
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Born and raised in Georgia, Angela K. Durden is an author, publisher, editor, songwriter, performer, and more, living in the Metro Atlanta, Georgia, area. Support your Citizen Journalist and visit her Consolidated Author Pageand buy a book. See more about Angela here.
Want to find out who we nothings are? Click here to hear “Rocker’s Wail”. Some of the lyrics are below:
Not ashamed to call ourselves rebel
We don’t whine
Pay our own way
Work when the sun don’t shine
Don’t ask for nothing
Speak up against the man.
We do what we can!
Not afraid to stand up
for what we know is right.
Every day they bring it on
We’re fresh to the fight.
We won’t be pushed,
they better not preach.
We stand proud.
Yeah, we’re loud!
