The good shepherd and his sheep
In spiritual discussions and teachings we often have the statement that people have to wake up. In fact and unfortunately this is exactly what mankind needs – a comprehensive awakening from the permanent and unhealthy state of hypnotic trance.
We do not live in a nice world where everyone wants only the best for us. In fact we live in a world with a lot of predators who enjoy to keep their prey – namely us – in the optimal state of efficiency and well-being as far as necessary to harvest the most. And as long as the prey doesn´t realize that it is prey, the game keeps simple.
Now imagine that you are one of the predators. Imagine you would go to a flock of sheep and tell them “Look, I am a predator, I like to eat sheep and I want to use you to satisfy all my different needs. Now come and let me use your manpower, your wool, everything else and also let me slaughter you when I am hungry!” Indeed this would be not useful for you as the predator as the sheep start running immediately.
Much smarter is to appear as the good guy who only wants the best for the sheep: “Dear sheep, I am a shepard and I want only the best for you because I love you sooo much. So please let me take care of you and let me support your well-being!” This sounds much better and the sheep cannot withstand your kind smile and wonderful words. So easily you get into control of the sheep. As you are now responsible for their well-being you have to invent some nice rules of behavior. Again, if you act too obviously as a predator the sheep will run. But you are smart so that you put obviously good rules which are easily accepted together with some hidden evil ones while you are still showing your heavenly smile. “You shall be kind to each other and you shall always follow my command as I want only the best for you and if you think you have to follow your own will then really evil things can happen to you and this is something you do not want, right?” In this way you prepare a whole list of rules for your flock of sheep which all serve your aims as a predator. As you mix the good with the evil, the sheep do not become aware of your bad intentions and if so you point at the good rules and that something bad will happen if they misbehave. Now you have a good frame to keep them under control. But this is not enough.
The sheep have to be kept busy, productive, so that you can harvest good fruits. So you say “Look, my dearest sheep, it is necessary that you increase eating grass, so that you become stronger and bigger. This is good for your health.”
And as you do not want to do the whole work on your own, you choose some sheep to delegate duties and keep control. These “chosen sheep” speak in your name – like we know it from religion – so they have authority. Certainly you have to choose sheep which enjoy power, ruling over others, being important and superior and also unscrupulous, selfish and only a little bit smarter than the rest. You get them by advantaging them with extra good grass, more freedom and more space. The other sheep have to accept this because the chosen ones have very important jobs.
In conclusion you have delegated nearly all the work on the sheep by rules and by chosen sheep for self-control.
Now you have to care for entertainment and jobs to keep the sheep busy – not thinking about right and wrong and better options. So you tell them that it is good for the health to run a lot, to eat a lot, to stay clean and to eat weed so that they feel happy and stoned when they are not working.
A busy sheep is a good sheep. It has no time for the important things.
Now you just have to find some good explanations for the sheep, why they have to “spend” their wool for you and why from time to time a sheep has to be slaughtered – as you need food. As you are a smart shepherd, it is no problem for you and the sheep are dull by nature. So you go to the sheep and tell them “Dear, beloved sheep, as your shepherd it is my holy duty to care for you and to care about your health. Regarding the latest news from science our planet suffers from global warming. And as you know it is quite hot under your fleece. To ease your life and to adapt to the global warming we have to cut your wool frequently. And then our scientists have discovered that there is a new virus which is deadly threat to sheep. Certainly we have to do everything to strengthen your health for protection. So you should eat special herbs (which makes your really yummy) and you should increase your running on the fields (to grow big muscles which are yummy too). Thank you for your understanding my beloved friends!”
So everything is fine now. Every time you are hungry you get a sheep and slaughter it secretly. Then you say that this very evil virus has killed the poor sheep. Besides this you get your wool.
If sheep start to get rebellious you just tell them the latest news about big evil wolves which have been seen in the surrounding area and also about the hard fate of sheep which were completely lost without their beloved shepherd, etc. You know that fears are a good tool to keep them under control.
Last but not least, you are not interested in smart sheep, so you start to confuse them in their thinking, feeling, in their values and in their behavior. The more they are busy with stupid things, the better it is.
The best sheep is the one which doesn´t know that it is a sheep.
So you mix up originally good things, good values with bad meanings and what was bad is now good. For example while sheep followed in former times the oldest and wisest sheep, they have discovered – thanks to your grace – the ego and they believe you when you say that all sheep are equal. There are no differences in knowledge, talents, intelligence, etc.
All sheep are equal.
(And certainly you will treat them all equal – taking their wool, slaughter them and enjoy them for dinner.)
And as long as the sheep stay dull and happy, you enjoy an easy and fulfilled life as a predator, a good shepherd who cares with love for his flock.
(What a wonderful happy ending!)
And when you examine our circumstances of life with all these smart, smiling and caring shepherds who don´t want you to think too much but just to feel well and comfortable, what do you think? Isn´t it nice to live in the flock?