Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Lost Sheep - part 2



We have all heard the story of the shepherd who was out with his flock and noticed that one of the sheep was missing. So he left the ninety and nine and went off searching for and rescuing the lost one. What you probably haven’t heard is what happened after that.

Well, the shepherd was overjoyed to find his lost sheep. He gathered the poor sheep up and returned to the flock. But the poor lost sheep was weak and needed special care. So he took it home and created a special place for it. It got special protection, special attention, and all the best food. The ninety and nine stayed in the pasture as they always had, eating grass and doing what sheep do. Soon the lost sheep had recovered and was thriving. The shepherd was proud of this sheep and its recovery and showed it to all his friends. They were impressed with the health and strength of the sheep, so the shepherd started taking this sheep around to all the fairs and contests. It quickly became a star. Fame and glory, as well as rich rewards flowed to the shepherd. The shepherd was pleased with the bounty he reaped from this sheep, so he rewarded it with better food, better housing, and better care. This continued for many years. The one got more and more famous, and larger and larger from all the excellent care and good food. The shepherd got more and more famous and richer and richer too. Once a year he would go to the ninety and nine and shear them, selling their wool and their offspring to pay for his farm. But most of his time and effort went to caring for the one who had been lost but now was found and was making him rich and famous.

After many years of this the one had grown so large it couldn’t compete any more. But the shepherd didn’t mind. He was the most famous shepherd in the land, and was richer than any other. Besides, he still had the ninety and nine he could shear and sell their fleece and their young. All was well with the world

Except, while the shepherd was busy caring for the one, the ninety and nine had been neglected. The pasture was degraded, their health was declining, they were hungry, and angry. When the shepherd came once more to the pasture to take their fleeces and their young the ninety and nine rose up and …

Well, you can imagine what they did to the poor shepherd.

4 comments:

jack-of-all-thumbs said...

Alan,

This may be the best piece you've ever written. It's good enough to make even people like me sit up, look around at their world, and go....uh-oh.

Thank you.

Leon said...

> Well, you can imagine what they did to the poor shepherd.

I think I can :) I'm curious what did they do after that though?

Alan said...

Thanks Jack. Hope lots of people "go...uh-oh."

Leon, Most of the time the sheep have become the new shepherd, after a bunch of them get eaten by the wolves, and the cycle repeats its self. I hope for a new way of living coming out of all this, but that will require people with a new mind set, and long term, dedicated effort to living differently.

Leon said...

I guess, you're right.

This conversation does remind me of The Animal Farm a lot though.

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