Wolves and Sheep (and Sheepdogs)

My dad was in a car accident when I was young. His van flipped several times on some highway in the middle of Wyoming. He'd be dead if he didn't have his seat belt on. While I have only been in 2 car accidents my whole life, I wear my seat belt all the time. The probability of getting in an accident is SUPER low, when you look at the thousands upon thousands of hours I spend at the wheel. I also have a fire extinguisher and smoke alarms in my house. How many homes burn down each year in the United States? It's got to be some insanely low number, I am sure. Yet I still prepare for those possibilities. I keep my hunting backpack, complete with a sleeping bag and 72-hour kit in my car. As well as snow gloves, boots, and a winter hat. What are the chances I will ever need those things? Again, very low. It's the same with a lot of things we do in life. We prepare for the worst, but always hope for the best because the worst is so UNlikely to happen.

The extreme majority of people in the world are good people. The murder rate in Utah is about 2.3 per 100,000 people. The US average is more like 4.8 per 100,000 (2005). With over 300 million Americans, about 1.4 million become victims of violent crime. That's less than one half of one percent. As I look at these numbers it becomes evident that some people are sheep and some people are wolves. Sheep do not generally possess violent natures. Wolves do.

I consider myself neither of the above. I am a peaceful person. I do not cause mayhem or commit crime. I obey the laws of this land. But the ability to be aggressive is within me. I could not stand by and let someone harm me or my family. I prowl the figurative 'perimeter' of my home, sniffing the wind and watching for the wolves to appear.

As I was watch various episodes of '24', I have no problem picking out the bad guy or seeing bad things before they happen. Lisa commented on this and said something like, "You're just always looking for the worst to happen in these shows." Not totally true. I just see them coming and can't help commenting. Then I mentioned that it just seemed to be built into me that I watch out for bad things. It's not that I create bad things, I just want to be protected against them when they happen. It doesn't matter where I am, I am always vigilant for anything out of place.

A lot of sheep don't like my mentality. They see me as alarmist or slightly paranoid. Maybe that definition is slightly true. But I don't do it because I think everyone is a bad person, I just do it because I don't like wolves. I don't like the way in which they victimize or take advantage of the weak and I believe I possess the ability to protect them and myself.

As Dave Grossman quoted in the link below, there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it's just what I choose to be. While some folks might run away from the bad guys, I look forward to engaging them and seeing them brought to justice.

The basis for a lot of the sentiment in this post stems from an article that can be found here.