My Husband Sent this to me Recently:
I read the other day that 95% of humans are equal to sheep… they just follow the rest of the herd. Around 1% are wolves… predators, people outside the norm of society. Then there are the other 4%, the Sheepdogs… the ones that protect the sheep from the wolves and lead them in the right direction.
Thank you for being a Sheepdog! I know how frustrated you get with the sheep, but thanks for being a loyal protector of them and herding them in the right direction…
Reflection
I never thought about myself as a Sheepdog. I thought I was one of the sheep, looking around at all the other sheep, popping my head up once in awhile and saying, “Hey, something is not right here!”
The massive, fluffy herd continued to head in the direction the Superiors told them too.
I continued my travel along with the crowd. Something hit my gut, and I popped my head up above the rest and kept it there. EEKS! This time I raised my voice louder and shouted, “Hey, something definitely is not right here! Stop!”
The herd continued, slightly hindered by my heels in the ground. Some tilted their heads, and a few started popping their heads up to look and see what I was seeing. Most continued to move forward, avoiding my fluff and my “bark”, by moving to the left and to the right of me. Heads remained down and determined. The course was set. The Superiors knew best.
I heard, “Baa Baa”, all around me… and an occasional “Bark Bark”.
Every time I heard the “Bark” I lifted my head up high. Something became familiar about that sound. It made me stop. It made me look. I was able to see above all the other fluffy, bleating four legged creatures. Alas! There were a few that looked a lot more like me… Their “Bark” was loud and confident… giving clear warning of danger.
A Little History of the Sheepdog
From: “Are You a Sheep or A Sheepdog? Part 1“, By Brett and Kate McKay
“Sheepdogs are society’s protectors.
While both herding dogs and livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) are known as sheepdogs, their roles are quite different. The former bark at, nip, and stare down animals to keep them together and moving in a certain way. Livestock guardian dogs, on the other hand, live with their flock of animals full-time, allowing them to blend in and watch for intruders within the herd. LGDs are placed in the flock as puppies so that they “imprint” on the animals they will be tasked with caring for and protecting. Strongly bonded to them, the LGD will perceive other species as predators and protect those it knows from these potentially hostile outsiders.
If a predator is not dissuaded by the presence of a LGD, it is ready and willing to attack and fight the predator to the death. And the LGD does not simply wait for a predator to attempt to infiltrate the flock – it also actively patrols its territory. Yet despite their fierceness, LGDs make loyal, gentle companions, and are especially protective of children.” (Emphasis Mine).
The Sheep/Sheepdog Continuum
“The business of being a sheep or sheepdog is not a yes-no dichotomy. Rather it’s a continuum. Some folks live at the extreme ends of the spectrum and are completely passive sheep or hardened ultimate warriors. Most people, however, fall somewhere in between.
Your “sheepness” or “sheepdogness” can change depending on context.”
Sheepdogs are Made, Not Born
“Being a sheepdog isn’t a matter of birth; it’s a choice – a matter of mental and physical training. In order to become a sheepdog, you have to consciously decide to do so and then slowly upgrade your mental, physical, and emotional hardware from Sheep 1.0 to Sheepdog 2.0.”
My Personal Transformation
Raising my head and seeing ahead of me a first step. I was among my herd. The herd I loved. At first, it seemed hard to see. As I heard the barks from the few, my mind resonated with the warnings. Something was ahead and wrong. Imprinted with the herd, and caring deeply about my peeps, I had to do something! I discovered my true identity and realized I could “bark” too.
“Bark Bark Bark!”
I joined the Watchdogs.
It is a difficult place to be to sound different and look a bit different than the group. I’m still a fluffy being, just a different sort.
My heart and mind are very focused upon the truth. I encourage everyone to actively dig, research, and question. Do more than tilt your head, raise it! Find the Sheepdog in you. Learn who the predators are and what is driving them… Our children need you.
My Bark
Common Core was written without transparency. Common Core is an untried and untested set of standards written by a group of non-educators. Common Core is developmentally inappropriate for many children. There are flaws in the Common Core Standards. The high stakes tests aligned with Common Core are invalid and unreliable, and also developmentally inappropriate. Children are being harmed.
“Bark, Bark, BARK, BARK, BARK, BARK!”
Passionately Submitted,
RAZ ON FIRE
Join Other Sheepdogs:
IGNITE! ... Fire is Catching 