Tag Archives: sheep

Brain

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Brain: (n) intellectual capacity

A friend of mine bought a German shepherd. He did so as a means of protecting his house.

He named the dog Rugby.Dictionary B

Rugby was probably one of the sweetest animals I’ve ever encountered in my life. I was absolutely enthralled with the kindness of this creature, but certainly convinced that Rugby was incapable of guarding anything. He was even patient with the four-year-old child who lived in the house, who was enamored with the animal’s nose, and continually tried to pluck it from his face.

I laughed at my friend when he insisted that Rugby was a replacement for a burglar alarm.

Then one day we went off on a brief shopping trip. As we returned, pulling into the driveway, we heard barking and growling. It sounded very aggressive–frightening to the ears.

Stepping into the house, we discovered a terrified gentleman penned in the corner, held prisoner by a very intimidating Rugby.

Apparently the man had decided to come into the house to steal some items to sell at the pawn shop–only to discover that the house was well protected by a deceptively dutiful German shepherd.

The man begged to have the dog called off.

As soon as my friend called the police, he motioned to Rugby to come to his side, and the family pet returned–with a wagging tail and a panting tongue.

You may ask me what this story has to do with the brain. Here it is:

The brain is like Rugby.

It doesn’t have any natural inclinations of its own, but only brings forth its training when the situation arises.

  • If you think being smart makes you generous, you are sadly mistaken.
  • If you believe that a formal education causes you to be ingenious, you will be disappointed.

A brain is merely a “thing” until something breaks in, and it does what it was trained to do.

 

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Baa

Baa: (n) the cry of a sheep or lamb.

Jesus described human beings as sheep.dictionary with letter A

It really was not a compliment.

Of all the attributes of the common sheep, passivity would have to be the best possible option–and even that is not a chosen peacefulness, but rather, an unwillingness to get involved.

Sheep are easily swayed, controlled, pushed, shorn and devoured by wolves.

They like to play the role of the victim–so often they will cry out, “Baa,” to let you know that they have once again brought upon themselves a situation which has placed them at risk.

Jesus also made the point that they get lost easily. It is unlikely that this is caused by wanderlust or an intrigue for finding new turf.

No, it’s mainly because sheep are dumb. For some reason, they get distracted and fail to follow the tail in front of them.

So even though we characterize Jesus of Nazareth as being the benevolent Savior who loved mankind, he was also fully aware of the nature of our personality–the desire to avoid difficulty and therefore actually stumble into more of it.

Is there any way for us to become more enlightened sheep without ending up being horny goats? It’s an interesting proposal–one that would be well worth discussion.

But certainly, there should be adequate warning that since many of our efforts are sheepish, that we should be very careful… that we’re under the guidance of the right shepherd.

 

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Artifice

Artifice: (n) clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially as used to trick or deceive othersdictionary with letter A

I’ve always been fascinated with the simile, “Sheep in the midst of wolves, wise as serpents, and as harmless as doves.”

Even though this comes from the Good Book, it really promotes an excellent lifestyle choice in what people often believe to be the “big, bad world.”

We spend way too much time bitching about the wolves and complaining about our sheepish profile–which seems to fail to have an ability to sink its teeth into the problem.

I suppose if I believed I was just a sheep surrounded by wolves I would not only be paranoid, but completely exasperated.

But the simile continues.

I am to be “wise as a serpent.”

That means I am supposed to sit down and allow my brain to conjure an idea that will give me an artifice–a means by which I can outsmart my competition. Of course, there is a danger that I could just become part of the problem by being equally as wolf-like as the rest of the carnivores out there, trying to devour humankind.

So the closing part of the simile is very important. Deep in my heart I need to be as harmless as a dove.

In other words, my motivation must be for the betterment of all and not just for the prospering of myself.

I use cleverness and cunning every day of my life. If I were not prepared to come up with inspiration and approaches that are smarter than my adversary, I am ill-prepared to be in the marketplace.

But I must also realize that the fact that I share a message that is geared to sheep does put me at the mercy of critical wolves, and that my ability to spiritually discern real-time situations and come up with intelligent revisions must be tempered by a heart that is harmless and only wants to bring peace.

It is that artifice that makes knowledge work for good… even as it dispels the evil.

 

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AARP, AAU, AAUP, AAVE

by J. R. Practix

dictionary with letter A

1. AARP: (abbr.) American Association of Retired Persons

2. AAU: (abbr.) Amateur Athletic Union

3. AAUP: (abbr) 1. American Association of University Presses 2. American Association of University Professors

4. AAVE (abbr.) African-American Vernacular English

If you don’t mind, I will take this series of initials to “initialize” my article for the day.

Seeing these four organizations lined up in the dictionary together really tickled my funny bone, because other than the dictionary throwing them together in alphabetical order, these four groups would not only be unaware of each other, but might be tempted to avoid contact.

It got me laughing. Wouldn’t you love to attend a party where a bunch of old people, aspiring athletes, college professors, reporters and hip-hop African-American rap stars got together to share the same pot of dip?

What a hoot!

I don’t think anybody would venture into that possibility, even for a mad-cap comedy. Too far out. But it IS the reason why fear and prejudice survive.

For instance, I was deathly afraid of a roller coaster until I sat in one. The theory and definition of a roller coaster bleached me white in apprehension. Likewise, being raised in a small town but far from rural America, I was absolutely petrified at the notion of being around barnyard animals. Pigs, cows, goats and sheep seemed like alien creatures out to suck my soul. And then, one day a friend of mine invited me out to the stables. Once I got used to the odor and learned how to carefully walk, I found the creatures to be quite domesticated, as long as you followed a few simple rules and honored their territory.

Bigotry is not the by-product of experience but rather, the lack of it.

Just think if the AARP, AAU, AAUP and AAVE got together somewhere OTHER than the dictionary. After the awkwardness wore off and the menu was reviewed for acceptability, conversation would naturally lend itself towards common goals and similar journey jaunts. It would end up being inspiring.

Segregation is not natural. Birds of a feather don’t really flock together, but actually tend to gather in promising trees near meadows filled with food sources.

It would just be so neat to see Grandma talking to some urban black man about her experience with blues music. Both of them would have to explore their resources and expand their boundaries. Meanwhile, the professor could amble up and explain the origins of both getting old AND the American ghetto. One of the athletes could be an anomaly … by being white.

Such a palette for colorful discourse.

So even though they only appear together in the dictionary, you would have to agree, our world would be better if these four actually did plan a meet, eat and eat. Yes, the world needs MEG’s–Meet, Eat and Greet.

It is only then that we will begin to birth a nation that has old, amateur athletes who are former professors that are completely well-acquainted with African-American vernacular.