I recently read about how our American society can be described as being composed of three basic
groups of people. Each of us falls into one of these groups. We are a SHEEP, or
a WOLF, or a SHEEPDOG.
The Wolf is all those who for one reason or another, prey on
the rest of us. They could be psychotics, like the guy who killed all those
kids in Newtown. Or, they could be Jihadists who believe that all they have to
do is kill enough of the unbelievers to make us believe like them. Or, they
could be the common bad guys who take from others;
the burglars, drug dealers, pimps, rapists and the like. The common thread is Sheep
are prey for Wolves.
The Sheepdog, on the other hand, is neither taken from or a
taker; it is a protector. The Sheepdog protects the Sheep from the Wolves. Most
Firemen and Police are Sheepdogs, though some are Wolves. The Army, Navy and
Marines, at least at the enlisted level, are mostly sheepdogs. Any mother
who stands in harm’s way to protect her children is a Sheepdog. You get
the idea.
I buy into this concept. But, lately, I have been having a different
take on it.
Forget about the Sheep, Wolf and Sheepdog.
Let’s think instead about Sardines and their Predators. Imagine a giant bait
ball of sardines in the ocean surrounded by sailfish, barracuda, porpoise, tuna
and marlin.
The bait ball is thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of
fish, clustered together, swimming as close as they can to each other, each fish hugging the fish next to him,
constantly shifting directions to desperately evade the predators slashing through their ranks.
A sailfish darts through the edges of the group and grabs a sardine.
Oh well, there are still thousands of us left who haven’t been eaten. No matter
how many predators show up, and even though some of the school will be
eaten, the ball will go on.
The bait ball is marvelously effective at protecting the
species, but is not so good at keeping the individual safe. The guys on the
outside of the ball sacrifice their all for the good of those who happen to be
on the inside. All you have to do to greatly increase your chances of survival
is be on the inside of the bait ball whenever the predators show up.
So after thinking about this for a while, I have concluded
that our society is not based on the Sheep analogy at all. We are, in fact, a society of Sardines. We would rather
huddle together, like sardines in a ball, and let a few sacrifice
themselves for our continued living benefit, than step out as individuals and
defend ourselves. If you step out and leave the ball behind, what happens? You get eaten
for sure.
At least that is what all those on the inside of the ball tell us. Guess who in our society is on the inside of the ball?
You guessed it: Politicians.
And Rich People. Yes.
And Famous people.
And Movie Stars.
And Liberal Progressives.
Wait! All Liberal
Progressives?
Well, no. Just those that are in Government, or are Rich, or
Famous, or are Movie Stars, or sycophantic hangers on to those others, and like
that.
Every Day Common, not Rich, Famous or Governmental
Progressives don’t automatically get a place in the middle of the ball.
Are there actually any real Every Day Common, not Rich,
Famous or Governmental Progressives?
Well, yes, sadly, there are. They are most shocked to find
out that their children were on the outside of the bait ball and were killed by
a lunatic in their school. Or, that the real cool marathon that they wanted to
run or attend also turned out to be on the outside of the ball and could be
targeted by a bomber. Or, they were on an airplane going somewhere to do
something and ended being flown into a building.
Outside. Of. The. Ball.
Please, don’t think of this as a criticism of the
individuals or a comment on their lives or life styles. It is not that at all.
They were all really good fish, I’m sure, loving of the rest
of the school and devoted to all their fellow fish. They tried to give back to
the bait ball, and were very generous and kind to their neighbors. Model sardines,
in all respects.
We are hearing a lot of sardines on the inside of the ball saying things like "We
need more gun control!"Apparently the thinking goes that if we all give up our guns the predators won’t have any
either and would not be able to eat us so easily! If we make nice with the
jihadists, they will make nice back and won’t eat us. Those of us who find
ourselves on the outside of the ball are willing to try anything that sounds
like it might work, no matter how stupid and desperate it is. After all, we are on the outside and don't have many prospects of getting on the inside.
Why is it that those of us on the outside of the ball
keep listening to those who are on the inside, telling us to keep together,
stay the course, as a school we will come through?
But come to think of it, once I’m on the inside of the
ball, then maybe it is a good idea to have lots of others on the outside. Isn’t
it in my best interest, being on the inside, to make sure there are always
those on the outside, as a buffer between me and the big bad shark?
Furthermore, it might not be such a good idea to make it
harder for the predators to eat those on the outside of the ball. If the
outside is not easy to eat, maybe they will find a way to get to the inside
instead?
Changing metaphors briefly, think about the antelope waking
up in the morning to find the Cheetah stalking the herd. From me the Antelope’s
perspective, all I have to do is outrun the slowest Antelope in the herd to avoid getting eaten by the Cheetah. Another
way to look at it is I don’t have to be the fastest Antelope; I just have to make sure I’m
not the slowest. Take it one more step and realize that if I can somehow
contrive to make sure there are always slower antelope around, my survival
chances are much improved.
Back to Sardines, all I have to do is make sure there are
plenty of suckers willing to swim on the outside of the ball.
Now how do I do that?
