wolves, sheep and sheepdogs.
I came across this theory, one time, and it has stuck with me for quite a while. Mind you, the paper I read it from had heavy overtones of military/policeman mantra, but I clung to the root idea of it.
This theory says that there are three types of people, and they can be represented as such: Sheep, sheepdogs, and wolves. For the sake of the theory, ignore all negative connotations you may have for any of these animals - being a sheep isn't bad, being a wolf isn't necessarily bad, and being a sheepdog isn't bad either. They just are.
Sheep are normal people, going through their days, leading their own lives, getting jobs, raising families..they are comfortable with what they are, who they are. The regular Joe, to use a cliche. The bulk of people, this theory states, are sheep. When danger comes, they fucking book it.
Wolves are the people who would not think to destroy sheep. They are the outsiders, ever on the fringe of the sheep. Given the chance, they would be the ones who would harm both the sheep and the sheepdogs. Kill them, even. This is their nature, the theory states, and at the base of their core, they are like this. They are the danger sometimes.
Then there are the sheepdogs. They are the guardians, the people who protect the sheep from the wolves. They are the ones who are ready and able to protect those around them at any cost, and would jump in to help others without the slightest thought or concern for their own safety. When danger comes, they fuck it up.
Now, I was thinking about this theory for a long time. I realise that you can't really generalize everyone, and that this theory is only very loosely based on how people actually are, but if you cut out extraneous corners and get down to the very base of who you are, it can be hypothesized that you are one of these three.
Which one do you think you are, and why?
I remember being upset when I was discussing this theory with some friends. I was under the impression, from what I'd done of soul-searching, that I fit in with the wolf. I wasn't a sheep, and to be honest, I wouldn't necessarily stop to help a sheep in trouble. I wasn't a sheepdog either, because I have no drive to protect others, outside of those that I know and love. I was conflicted about this conclusion, however, because there have been times where I have stepped in when I saw someone in trouble.. but if you stripped away my friends and family, at my very core, I wouldn't give a fuck about anyone. Furthermore, I believe my biggest personality flaw is my ability to distance myself from anyone and anything. In theory, I am capable of killing someone. Which kicks me outta the sheep and sheepdog category and into the wolf. I didn't like this, at first. It was a frightening look at my own flaws. It bothered me so much that I wanted to know if anyone else I talked to could place themselves in the wolf category.
I remember discussing this with a few friends, and they all thoroughly disagreed with me. I gave them my reasoning, and we all sorta settled on me being either a really fucking mean sheepdog, or something like a tamed wolf-turned sheepdog. I had the capacity for violence, for destruction, for being every inch the wolf I was, but I choose not to. It was probably not ideal that I was a sheepdog, but I fit into neither fully.
As an aside, only one other person I've talked to so far could identify most with the wolf.
This theory says that there are three types of people, and they can be represented as such: Sheep, sheepdogs, and wolves. For the sake of the theory, ignore all negative connotations you may have for any of these animals - being a sheep isn't bad, being a wolf isn't necessarily bad, and being a sheepdog isn't bad either. They just are.
Sheep are normal people, going through their days, leading their own lives, getting jobs, raising families..they are comfortable with what they are, who they are. The regular Joe, to use a cliche. The bulk of people, this theory states, are sheep. When danger comes, they fucking book it.
Wolves are the people who would not think to destroy sheep. They are the outsiders, ever on the fringe of the sheep. Given the chance, they would be the ones who would harm both the sheep and the sheepdogs. Kill them, even. This is their nature, the theory states, and at the base of their core, they are like this. They are the danger sometimes.
Then there are the sheepdogs. They are the guardians, the people who protect the sheep from the wolves. They are the ones who are ready and able to protect those around them at any cost, and would jump in to help others without the slightest thought or concern for their own safety. When danger comes, they fuck it up.
Now, I was thinking about this theory for a long time. I realise that you can't really generalize everyone, and that this theory is only very loosely based on how people actually are, but if you cut out extraneous corners and get down to the very base of who you are, it can be hypothesized that you are one of these three.
Which one do you think you are, and why?
I remember being upset when I was discussing this theory with some friends. I was under the impression, from what I'd done of soul-searching, that I fit in with the wolf. I wasn't a sheep, and to be honest, I wouldn't necessarily stop to help a sheep in trouble. I wasn't a sheepdog either, because I have no drive to protect others, outside of those that I know and love. I was conflicted about this conclusion, however, because there have been times where I have stepped in when I saw someone in trouble.. but if you stripped away my friends and family, at my very core, I wouldn't give a fuck about anyone. Furthermore, I believe my biggest personality flaw is my ability to distance myself from anyone and anything. In theory, I am capable of killing someone. Which kicks me outta the sheep and sheepdog category and into the wolf. I didn't like this, at first. It was a frightening look at my own flaws. It bothered me so much that I wanted to know if anyone else I talked to could place themselves in the wolf category.
I remember discussing this with a few friends, and they all thoroughly disagreed with me. I gave them my reasoning, and we all sorta settled on me being either a really fucking mean sheepdog, or something like a tamed wolf-turned sheepdog. I had the capacity for violence, for destruction, for being every inch the wolf I was, but I choose not to. It was probably not ideal that I was a sheepdog, but I fit into neither fully.
As an aside, only one other person I've talked to so far could identify most with the wolf.