Of Sheep and Men

Excerpt from the book: "Please Pass The Pork" Politics Collusion and Corruption in Small Town America by Terry G Bernard


What do sheep and humans have in common? Let us ponder this for a moment shall we. First we must discuss the icon of sheep. The shepherd. When you think of a shepherd, what is the first thing you think of? The hook of course. Now sheep do not recognize their owners necessarily but they do recognize the hook. This shepherd could be leading them to fertile pastures of green grass and cool mountain water to drink, a virtual paradise in the mind of sheep. Then, on the other hand, this shepherd could be leading them to a cliff, deep, dark, and fraught with peril and their complete destruction. They don’t know. Do you see a herd of sheep sending out other sheep to investigate whether or not they are embarked on a journey that will full-fill all of their dreams, or a journey that will end in their destruction. No, you do not. He leads, they follow and no one utters a word unless the sheep get out of line.

Now to humans. The interesting thing about humans is they have the ability to do what sheep don’t. Investigate. The problem with humans is that when they ask a question, they don’t really want to hear the truth. They want to hear whatever answer suits them best. There are humans out there that will go forth from the herd, investigate the destination, then report back to the herd. The problem is, if the herd doesn’t like what the others have discovered, it suddenly becomes fabrication, or worse the nature of humanity takes over, and the investigators find the cliff and report back that it is green grass and cool water. Humans also can choose their shepherd, which is a unique advantage. But, there in also lies the problem. Once humans choose their shepherd, they are pretty much done.

Now, where is the advantage that the sheep have. It is simple, they always recognize the hook. Humans rarely do. Humans see or more importantly “hear” the hook one time, and they follow the shepherd blindly to whatever end is in store.

So, to the original question. What do sheep and humans have in common? The answer is: They both will follow anyone with a hook no matter what the consequences.