Sheepdog Mentality

There are three types of people in this world.  There are sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs.  The relationship between the three is pretty obvious.  The sheep have zero capacity for violence, and are relatively incapable of harming another, except by accident or extreme provocation, and therefore, often are victimized by the wolves.  The wolves have zero capacity for mercy and little regard for the well-being of others, and therefore, life for nothing more than to victimize others.  The sheepdog has both a capacity of violence and mercy.  He lives to confront those who wish to victimize others and although wishes to avoid confrontation, is willing to put himself in danger for the greater good.

I won't spend much time talking about what makes a wolf a wolf, because it is obvious.

What makes a sheep a sheep has little to do with being weak or feeble.  A sheep is a sheep because he is in denial of the potential dangers that lurk around him.  He walks around in a state of "condition white", relatively oblivious to his surroundings or hoping that nothing bad will happen.  On the converse, being a sheepdog has little to do with your physical abilities.  It has nothing to do with being strong or tough, but it represents a level of preparedness.  This doesn't mean that a sheepdog walks around in a constant state of paranoia, or having a vault filled with a plan for every foreseeable danger.  There is no way to visualize every possible scenario out there and have a plan for each one.  Being a sheepdog means having the ability to react to the unexpected and do so quickly, and most importantly, decisively.

Anyone reading this may begin to think that the whole idea of being a sheepdog is all about being a hero, saving the prey from the predator, or the victim from the bully.  Having the sheepdog mentality has much further implications than just saving the little guy from the attacker.  You need to be a financial sheepdog.  What is your ability to handle the situation is something breaks in your home or on your car?  You need to be a situational sheepdog.  How do you react if some accidental catastrophe happens, such as a fire or car accident?  Do not live in a perpetual state of simply hoping nothing bad will ever happen, that is not peace of mind, nor is it a survival plan.  Peace of mind is in knowing that when the unexpected happens, you trust in your ability to execute the cycle of Orient, Observe, Decide, Act, and do so quickly, intelligently, and decisively.