Wolves, Sheepdogs and Sheep

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Ok, somebody posted this article in another forum.

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: "Most of
the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures
who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the murder
rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000
per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to
hurt one another.

Some estimates say that two million Americans are
victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering
number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But
there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the
odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than
one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many
violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent
citizens is considerably less than two million.

Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We
may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably
rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable
of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are
sheep.

I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty,
blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something
wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers,
soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they
protect will grow into something wonderful.? For now, though, they need warriors
to protect them from the predators.

"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed
on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there who will
feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this
world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it
is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.
"Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to
protect the flock and confront the wolf."

If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive
citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow
citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you
have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you
have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path.
Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human
phobia, and walk out unscathed.

Let me expand on this old soldier's
excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and
sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in
denial, that is what makes them sheep. They
do not want to believe that there is evil in the
world. They can accept the fact that fires can
happen, which is why they want fire
extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and
fire exits throughout their kids' schools.
But many of them are outraged at the
idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are
thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence
than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The
idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they
chose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He
has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the
sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who
intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world
cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic
such as ours.

Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there
are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or
give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage
fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in
his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa."
Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one
lonely sheepdog.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high
school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the
time of day for a police officer. They were not
bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop.
When the school was under attack, however,
and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and
hallways, the officers had to physically peel
those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is
how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog
when the wolf is at the door.

Look at what happened after September
11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the
door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their
law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you
heard the word hero?

Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it
is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter:
He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at
things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the
young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older
and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with
the young ones.

Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend
the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on
September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most
citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of
those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear
God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes.
Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are
truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested
yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want
to be able to make a difference.

There is nothing morally superior about the
sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real
advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to
survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98
percent of the population.

There was research conducted a few years ago with
individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were
in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence:
assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that
they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive
behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa,
when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.
Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically
primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which
one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are
choosing to become sheepdogs.

Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was
honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the
man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an
operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other
three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone
and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal to the
other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation
occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents. -- from
sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an
unknown number of lives on the ground.

Quote:

There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil
men.

- Edmund Burke 


Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police
officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born
as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a
choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want
to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.

If you want to be a sheep, then you
can be a sheep and that is okay, but you
must understand the price you pay. When
the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are
going to die if there is not a sheepdog there
to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you
can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to
hunt you down and you will never have rest,
safety, trust or love.

But if you want to be a
sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then
you must make a conscious and moral
decision every day to dedicate, equip and
prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic,
corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.

For example, many officers carry their weapons in church. They are well
concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into
the small of their backs.? Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is
a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will
never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf
appears to massacre you and your loved ones.

I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one
officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, "I
will never be caught without my gun in church." I asked why he felt so strongly
about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was at a church massacre in
Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into
the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen people. He said that officer
believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun.
His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy's body and
wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, "Do you have any idea
how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?"

Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was
carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably
scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for "heads
to roll" if they found out that the air bags in their cars were defective, or that the
fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids' school did not work. They can
accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be
safeguards against them.

Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their
response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks
himself, "Do you have and idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your
loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because
you were unprepared for that day?"
It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by
combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and
destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up.

Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you
are not physically prepared: you didn't bring your gun, you didn't train. Your only
defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time
because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by
your fear helplessness and horror at your moment of truth.

Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb
post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone
trying to come to terms with our current world situation:
"...denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect.
For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it
isn't so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all
the more unsettling."

Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract
written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying
person knows the truth on some level.
And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and
prepare himself for the day when evil comes.
If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step
outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad
man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7, for a lifetime. Everyone needs
down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside
without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself ... "Baa."

This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It
is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On
one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate
warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other.
Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in
America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few
steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started
taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum,
away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones
will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, Director, Killology Research Group, is a West Point psychology professor,
Professor of Military Science, an internationally recognized scholar, author, soldier, and speaker who
is one of the world's foremost experts in the field of human aggression and the roots of violence and
violent crime.

Note: Lt. Col. Grossman’s books, On Combat and On Killing are quite simply outstanding.
Training NCO, patrol officer, SWAT operator, snake-eater, professional soldier, reservist or
citizen, you should read them. They will help you develop as a warrior—and could keep you
alive.
__________________

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And then, I post this in reply:



Actually, this explains it much better 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4TKTRV4HM0&mode=related&search=

[chris]

this is bound to start a political debate...and i have no interest in debating anyone on this topic. i will give my opinion. and for those who disagree with me, please feel welcome to your opinion. i will gladly allow you to have whatever opinion you feel comfortable with. i only ask you to allow me to have mine.

the vast majority of us will not be in harms way by bad people. why? because most of us live in a civilized fashion, with civilized people. most will never see a violent crime. most will not ever know anyone who anyone who has. why? because people hurting other people is not normal. do bad things happen? sure. does society do what they can to keep that kind of stuff to a minimum? i'd like to think so. i belive that for the most part, there is good in people. and by extension...for the most part...people are good. and well intentioned. that is the way i see it. and that is the way it should be.

but occasionally, someone decides violence is the way they want to make their point. the fine law enforcement agencies of this country (both local and national) are here to protect us when something does happen. it is the job they have chosen to do. but just because someone is risking their lives, and probably getting underpaid while doing so...doesn't always put them on the right side of the gun. putting themselves in harms way can occasionally get them killed. just because one carries a firearm does not mean they will not find themselves in harms way. it is truly a dangerous job. and those good people out there should all be glad there are those, in the law enforcement department, looking out for us.   

to suggest mockingly, though, that ignorant innocents wander through life, mindlessly hoping nothing can ever go wrong is just as shortsighted. of course we are grateful to have police around when things go wrong. i realize that policemen do a job i probably could not do. they deal with the undesirables. they clean up the scum that dirty our streets. they make my town safe for my children to play in. its safe to say i can speak for all of us to say we are grateful for the life threatening job they do every day. they are, in my opinion, are heros. but to imply something evil will inevitably happen to each and every one of us is wrong. and it causes unneccessary fear. living in fear is not normal. it shoudn't be the way we live our lives. do you raise a family telling your children that they should be afraid to walk to school that day? does it mean that those who bravely go about their life happily, ignorant of the impending dangers around them are any less worthy of police help than those who are expecting it?

take a look at any history book. you will see that history is filled with mindless violence. romans feeding christians to the lions...with large audiences cheering on the festivities. early settlers of this country burning perceived practicing witches at the stake. there has always been wrongdoing. and once in a sad while...the ones that are there to protect us are the perpetrating the violence

and it sould never be assumed that just because one works with a badge, they are always in the right. just like sometimes there are bad people...sometimes there are bad cops. most of them, i'm sure, are fine, upstanding people. the vast majority of them are law abiding citizens who truly vow to protect civilians. but who says they can do no wrong? they are human. if we find it acceptable in this society that some people are bound to do something illegal, something wrong, something dangerous...is it that much of a stretch that maybe a cop might be compromised...tempted to take some cash for a bad deed ignored? or covered up something even more dispicable? i'm not suggesting it happens a lot. but can anyone here deny that that it has ever happened? human beings that have been put in a position of power have been known to occasionaly abuse that power. not to say they will...but they might.

so what do we do? does that mean we should all be carrying guns? i can't see how that could possiblly curb gun violence. to suggest we all live together peacefully is probably hippy's pipe dream. but i will not live my life, scared something bad is going to happen to me or my family. to live in fear is not to live at all. live each day as if it were your last. and live it happily. with smiles...and dreams...and hope.