“Unlike the wolves, sheepdogs have great amounts of empathy for the sheep. They care so much for the sheep, that they put themselves between the flock and wolves.”
I would love to be able to have a rational conversation with those who oppose the 2nd Amendment. However, I don’t believe it’s possible. See, rational is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as, “a: having reason or understanding; b: relating to, based on, or agreeable to reason.” Reason, of course, is the ability to use and understand logic. The only thing that the left is capable of doing is having an emotional discussion which is defined by the same dictionary as, “markedly aroused or agitated in feeling or sensibilities.” In other words, their ability to use logic is overwhelmed by feelings of frustration caused by a lack of control over the world around them.
In 2010, prior to me leaving Fort Campbell, I was privileged to attend a seminar by LTC(R) Dave Grossman. Grossman is the author of the books On Killing and On Combat. His books discuss his study of killing and its effect on the human spirit. He basically breaks down people into three categories.
- Sheep: People who cannot accept the realities of evil in our world. They will panic and often freeze when faced with human atrocities because they simply cannot rationalize what is happening. They hate anything to do with violence and will therefore simply deny its existence whenever possible. They will do so to their own detriment because they go through life believing they can, through their ideology of disbelief, keep hate at bay.
- Wolves: These are the soulless monsters of our species who walk amongst us. They are incapable of human empathy and use violence as their podium. They survive by hunting and living off the blood of the sheep. The sheep cannot reason with them as they only view the sheep as prey. When they are hungry they will feed.
- Sheepdogs: Like the wolves, sheepdogs are capable of violence. In fact, they often long to test their mettle on the field of righteous battle. This is not done out of a desire to kill, but out of the knowledge that evil can only be kept at bay by those willing to sacrifice themselves. Unlike the wolves, sheepdogs have great amounts of empathy for the sheep. They care so much for the sheep, that they put themselves between the flock and wolves. They typically are drawn into the military and law enforcement professions and stand ready to enact violence on behalf of the sheep.
To sum it up, Grossman states, “Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, ‘Thank God I wasn’t on one of those planes.”’ The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, ‘Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference.’ When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.”
As Grossman points out, the sheep fear violence so much that they act irrationally towards it
As Grossman points out, the sheep fear violence so much that they act irrationally towards it. We see this behavior constantly both during a shooting event and after. The sheep will there, locked down by fear and unable to make intelligent decisions. Then after the events, they continue to be completely emotional. They believe that it is not only possible, but a moral imperative, to legislate violence out of society.
The problem is that this is a fallacy of epic proportions which shows the sheep’s irrationality. They choose to put the blame of violence on guns because that is the easiest way out. By saying it is the guns that are committing the murders, it allows them to continue with their view that wolves are not amongst us. When one brings up salient points, they respond emotionally by accusing naysayers of not caring about the victims or supporting the wolves.
Guns are not the problem, society is. We are creating a society that is more prone to violence and then blaming the cause on the effect. By taking guns away from those that follow the law, you are not going to stop killers from using those same guns. Sheep love to use Australia and England as great examples. Unfortunately, the facts don’t support the sheep’s view of life. The Guardian recently reported that gun and knife crime is up thirteen to fourteen percent in the United Kingdom. How is that possible? Guns are not only illegal, but banned in a country that has no porous borders. It’s a freaking island for heaven’s sake!
We are creating a society that is more prone to violence and then blaming the cause on the effect
I remember visiting my cousins during the summer. I lived in California and they lived in the Midwest. They would tell me about how they would go to school with their rifles in the back of their trucks so they could go hunting after school. I couldn’t believe it. How was it possible that they could go to school with guns and no one batted an eye? I now understand what the heartland has always known; lack of morality and ethics are the problem.
Here is my favorite example of how futile the legislation is – school shootings cannot exist. See, it is illegal to bring a gun onto school grounds, therefore no school shootings are possible. Yet we see these horrific events occur, how does the sheep rationalize this logical conundrum? They do not, they simply ignore the facts and pretend there is no relationship. So am I saying that there should be no laws against violence? Not a chance. What I am saying, however, is that you need to understand exactly what laws do. Laws are punitive in nature. They do not stop criminals; they only allow society to punish after the fact. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? Did that stop you from ever speeding again? Laws do not stop violence, only the threat of counter violence does so.
Here are prime examples of why I say guns are not the problem. On September 11, 2001, 19 terrorist killed 3000 people without the use of a single gun. Then there is August 17, 2017, in Barcelona, Spain, where a van killed 13 and injured over 100. Not a shot was fired. How about the Bath School Massacre on May 18, 1927? Thirty-six school children and two teachers were killed in a schoolhouse explosion by a sociopath bent on revenge due to a lost election. Violence will always exist, and until we learn to identify the causes, it will only increase.
Laws are punitive in nature. They do not stop criminals; they only allow society to punish after the fact
Here is the truth, whether you like it or not: as we advance technologically, so will our ability to cause death and destruction. Cheaper and more lethal weapons will continue to be devised. You cannot stop this progression. A friend of mine once said he would happily give up all of his guns if we could eternally wipe out the ability for mankind to manufacture them. Once you discover something, you cannot undiscover it.
I would love to live in a world free from violence. A world where psychopaths do not exist and people nurture each other. A world where governments actually fulfill their duties to their citizens and no one lives in poverty. The difference between myself and the sheep is that I understand that this world is not where we live.
A final note, as Grossman states, “Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones… While there is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, he does have one real advantage. Only one. He is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.”
I agree with this. I live in the real world, where real evil exists and it can only be negotiated with through violence of action. Yet, as much as I recognize the reality of this world, I do not wish for it. It is from this point that I wish we could have a sincere talk about society and violence. I would love to see a better world for my posterity, but such a world will only come when we can accept the reality of the world and speak rationally about it.
