Little Factor 269 : The Sheep-Shepherd Analogy

Have you ever heard concerning the analogy between the shepherd, the flock of sheep, the sheepdog, and the wolf?

• The shepherd is the caregiver, the information, the ruler, and the observant who can see the entire image, their activity is to coach the canine, have a tendency the sheep, and they’re liable for the whole lot that occurs; to the sheepdog and the sheep. They should present a secure place to dwell in, and primary requirements for everybody. 
• The wolf is the menace who preys on the sheep, the scary monster that lurks if you find yourself not watching, those that may do hurt with out mercy, the predator, they’re stronger and smarter.
• The sheepdog‘s duty is to guard the sheep, direct the motion, guarantee each sheep is within the group, alert and defend when there are doable threats or any assault from exterior. In society, individuals like this are often in legislation enforcement, their activity is to guard and defend. 
• The flock of sheep is almost all of society, they’re calm, mild, and peaceable beings, and so they observe the trail that’s proven to them, they’ve worth, and they might by no means hurt others. They’re susceptible, and so they cannot defend themselves from the wolves.

Points with the analogy:

• Leadersheep exists. In actual life, based mostly on analysis, sheep do take turns whereas transferring in a flock, they alternate between the position of chief and follower and in the end obtain some type of “collective intelligence” ie the workforce’s capability and functionality to carry out a activity in fixing an issue. They do not solely have “one chief” to information them, they take a flip briefly, it’s teamwork. Sheep are a lot smarter than we assume they’re, positive each every now and then there are misplaced sheep, or the collective movement is interrupted most likely by a single sheep that wished a relaxation and cease, however it’s unavoidable to do errors. It’s not an ideal system, however it exists nonetheless. This was not identified to us, we assumed they have been all misplaced and wanted steerage and safety, on a regular basis. 
• The analogy is by evaluating us to animals, however in a manner, animals observe their pure intuition, it’s what they’re, however we’re human with ‘akal’, we’re sophisticated beings succesful to assume. Sheep observe their flocks as a result of it’s how they’re wired, sheepdog protects as a result of they’re skilled to take action. However we’re succesful to succeed in past that straightforward analogy. For instance, wolves don’t merely terrorize or bully sheep as a result of they’re succesful to take action or as a result of they’re stronger, they solely hunt to eat, and it isn’t private. However when people do malicious issues or select to control others, it’s all the time for their very own private acquire. It’s not intuition, however a selection. This analogy is just too easy and broad to match with us.
• What for those who do not feel like you’re the shepherd, wolf, sheepdog, or sheep? What in case you are naturally a loner who chooses to not take part that a lot in society? Loners are sometimes thought-about an outcast, and more often than not they’re extremely observant. They’re succesful to maneuver into the system, and collaborating when wanted, being self-reliant, not selecting one label to outline their ‘standing’. Not precisely the shepherd, the wolf, the sheepdog, or the sheep.  
• For those who went on an interview and the particular person requested you whether or not you’re a shepherd, a wolf, a sheepdog, or a sheep, what must you reply? It’s best to reply relying on what you wish to supply to the corporate. Whether it is management (like director/workforce chief/supervisor), go for an apparent reply, the shepherd. Whether it is in gross sales and advertising, go for the wolf, you want to have the ability to know your power and use it for the very best, you want to be hungry for achievement and hunt for alternatives, the power to control is a bonus power in pursuing one thing (if not used for private acquire). A sheepdog is a good reply as properly, capable of hearken to instructions, to be skilled to information the workforce, a small chief, and an vital member of an organization. Do not attempt to be philosophical throughout an interview, it’d backfire.

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There’s a unfavourable notion of being a sheep: 

Do not be a sheep is a manner of claiming that every particular person of a bunch should not blindly be pondering, or appearing, the identical manner.

On this, we assume sheep are too silly to defend themselves and they’re the bottom ones within the circle. However in nature, sheep are bodily weak and susceptible in comparison with their predators, in order that they defend themselves by being in a big flock as a substitute of being singled out to discover on their very own. It’s their very own survival mechanism, they must be collectively to guard each other. They want to have the ability to work on a system to maneuver collectively. It’s their very own strategy to adapt. So it isn’t fully unhealthy, is not it? Their capacity to go the management to whichever sheep to guide briefly is amusing. 

Do you assume we, people can merely go our energy to guide like passing a baton to another person by belief? Do you assume we’re succesful to do this? I do not assume so. People have a tendency to carry on to their energy like it’s a valuable factor to not be shared. We do not belief each other.

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I all the time heard this analogy since I used to be small, and I typically surprise the place I’m on this? 

So, if I have been to decide on who I’m on this circle, I believe I might be the random traveler, a vagabond author stopping by at a random farm observing the easy small circle, creating the analogy in her thoughts, writing in her personal pocket book to mirror on later and, off to a different slow-burn journey.

Baaaa.