Are we the superior species? Maybe not
By Reina Free
In the field bordering my garden there was, until a few weeks ago, a flock
of sheep. It was very interesting to observe them on their daily business.
It is said “people are like sheep” and I wanted to find out if this was so.
They are definitely not stupid as they quickly found the lushest grass, and
when it rained and the wind blew hard across the field they rushed to the
nearest hedgerow for shelter. They know the exact time the farmer brings
the hay.Some scramble away when I approach, others just stare then slowly walk away. There are sheep with white, grey and black faces. There are solitary sheep alone at the top end of the field. Some walk together as if in a deep meaningful conversation, others lie together having a meeting about the future or just dreaming about pastures new.
There is only one black sheep, alone until recently befriended by two friends who took pity on him. Some in the flock, in a kind of snobbish way considered him below them.
I have seen magpies perched on their backs, hitching a ride in search of a tasty knick-knack. The sheep not bothered, could not care less.
I was also told sheep can be stubborn and rebellious as in “I must have it my own way” even to the point of self-destruction. But never did I see them being led by a shepherd. They seemed to go about their business in an orderly manner. For shepherds, like good leaders, are rare and hard to find.
So are people in some ways like sheep? Could well be, might well be, there are without doubt similarities but the writer is not going to point these out or give an opinion. Each one of us, like sheep, is different. But it is wise, and time well spent, to think. Perhaps in the quietness you hear, as if in a whisper, the one who says “I am the Good Shepherd”. May this be so for all of us in 2007 and beyond.