We live in turbulent times … the demands of simply keeping pace with day to day living leave precious little time for anything else. Augustine of Hippo wrote almost 1,600 years ago … “Oh! … You torrent of human custom, who can stand against you?”
Perhaps some members of our medical community have recently provided the answer to the above dilemma posed by Augustine in 400 AD. The medical community has proven the mortality rate amongst newborn babies is higher for those who do not receive cuddling and affection … “the human touch”. Surely this need for connection through touch is an innate and permanent human characteristic. The image of a premi lying in an incubator comes to mind. While the infant has the warmth and nutrition required for survival, doctors have found that touching the infant, even the simple touch of a finger, improves the chances of survival.
True at birth, seems to me that this need for “the human touch” must hold true throughout our lives … as important at age 80 as at birth. The ‘will’ to live seems predicated on the knowing that we are not alone … we are connected … we belong!
Have you ever asked yourself … What is going on? … Where are we? … Where are we headed? What will we do when we get there?
We often hear the expression ‘the evolution of mankind’. The word evolution infers movement, figuratively speaking, from Point A to Point B. We live in the times referred to as Point A … Where is Point B? … What does life look like at Point B? … and … What is this phenomenon of movement? ( or ‘torrent’ as expressed by Augustine)
For the past several years, the notion of evolution as ‘movement’ tickled my mind. Setting aside recorded history, Darwinian theory and religious dogma, I reflected only on the notion of ‘movement’. The meditations seemed to be inspired by my frequent observations of flocks of sheep, while traveling through the Middle East, Europe and most recently Spain.
The first occurrence was in 1996 … on top of a mountain in Bosnia Hertzgovina.
While sitting there, I heard the sound of cow bells … seemed strange … why would there be cow bells ringing on top of this mountain? In a few moments a small flock of sheep and their shepherd arrived on top of the mountain.
How exciting! … especially for someone who grew up in Canada where sheep are raised in barns and fenced enclosures. I had only ever read or watched on television shepherds wandering the countryside and mountains with their sheep.
Here at the dawn of the 21st century was an authentic shepherd with his sheep … wow!
Several years later … after seeing many flocks of sheep in various circumstances always with their shepherds … I found myself thinking … when a large flock of sheep is moving along most of the sheep … almost all of the sheep … can only see the ‘butt’ of the sheep in front of them.
They have no idea where they are going or what the terrain they are passing through looks like.
A few years later it occurred o me … not only can all they see is the ‘butt’ in front of them … worse yet … they have no choice but keep their nose glued to the ‘butt’ of the sheep walking in front of them … they cannot stop … the sheep behind them will trample them …they cannot move forward … or sideways … there are countless sheep pressing them on all sides … hmmm! Seems they are not willing to leave the flock … seems sheep also feel safe and secure through ‘belonging’.
“Theory … is won as the result of a process that begins when consciousness first experiences its own terrible ossification in the general reification of all things under capitalism; then when consciousness generalizes (or classes) itself as something opposed to other objects, and feels itself as contradiction to ( or crisis within) objectification, there emerges a consciousness of change in the status quo; finally, moving toward freedom and fulfillment, consciousness looks ahead to complete self-realization, which is of course the revolutionary process stretching forward in time, perceivable now only as theory or projection”
Edward Said (Traveling Theory)
Said argues that theory can “threaten reification, as well as the entire bourgeois system on which reification depends, with destruction”
“ Turn those stones into bread and I will follow you anywhere”
“This sense of worldly, “mapped” movement is also why it may be worth holding on to the term “travel” despite its connotations of middle class “literary” or recreational journeying, spatial practices long associated with male experiences and virtues. “Travel” suggests, at least, profane activity, following public routes and beaten tracks. How do different populations, classes and genders travel? What kinds of knowledges, stories, and theories do they produce? A crucial research agenda opens up”
James Clifford (Notes on Travel and Theory)
“Woe to you, torrent of human custom! Who can stand against you?”
Are there any parallels with this image and human life?
If so … Who is the shepherd?
Some time later I was sharing my above sheep philosophy with a man from Scotland over a beer in the local Spanish Bar. After listening to my story he offered another version of sheep philosophy. He told me a story about sheep farmers in his country. When the farmer is penning the sheep at night, seems there is always one sheep who refuses to go into the pen. The farmer chases him around for a while and finally gives up and closes the pen, leaving this solitary sheep locked out.
Meditating on this story I found several parallels with my own life.
• The sheep pen represents our culture. We are ‘penned’ in by our culture … the boundaries of acceptable behavior is defined and we are expected to conform and abide by the rule of law. We are penned in!
• Throughout history there have always been renegades, those individuals who refused to follow and simply created a different pen Luther and the Protestant movement is a good example.
A few days later, still excited about this new spin on my sheep philosophy, I shared both versions with Bernadette. She obviously listened intently because she turned to me and said “Bruce … you are circling the pen.” She saw me in the story. How exciting this revelation was for me! Clearly, my wandering aimlessly for the previous several years could be summed up with the words “you are circling the pen”. These few words resonated so deeply in my inner self. I had literally walked away from mainstream society, yet despite being on the fringe of society my innate yearning to belong kept me within spitting distance of mainstream society. I was not prepared for the life of a hermit.
This reality was reinforced with discussions with Xavier, the young cook at the hotel in Nerja where I worked as a dishwasher. Xavier also saw through the thin veneer of my story, he saw my hypocrisy, the insincerity of my ranting against mainstream culture. He asked me one day … “How did you get to Spain? Did you take an airplane? Knowing the answer before he asked told me he simply wanted to remind me that I was still quite content to participate in the privileges of mainstream culture. Ouch! This day I too saw my hypocrisy!!
One day while walking through a remote part of southern Spain (my pilgrimage along the Ruta de la Plata) I heard a sheep bellowing, what a sad sound! The noise woke me from my day dreaming and I looked around for the circumstances that would create such a cry. Turns out there was a solitary sheep locked inside a small pen while a large flock of sheep were grazing 50-100 meters away.
Again this image and sound resonated deep within me. I could see myself as the solitary sheep locked in the pen. By this time I had spent several years mostly alone, watching family, friends and strangers enjoying the fruits of mainstream society while I was in a self imposed exile. I was sad, lonely and at times desperate … I often wanted to cry out … let me back in! … I want to become part of mainstream culture again! Yet over and over again circumstances prevailed that would not allow me to voluntarily rejoin mainstream. I would stay on the narrow path and try to suffer quietly, retaining some dignity.
Finally, one last contribution to my sheep philosophy received from a fellow pilgrim. While walking the Camino Santiago with a young man named Christian I once again found myself sharing my sheep philosophy. On this day Christian seemed to listen sympathetically but offered no response. A day or so later I met up with Christian again. As often happens on the Camino, pilgrims walk together a for short time, get separated and meet again at some other point along the road.
When I met up with Christian again he wanted to share an experience he had since the last time we chatted, an experiencing involving sheep. Christian had been walking along and encountered a flock of sheep in the area. Perhaps prodded by my story, he observed their behavior. Christian was drawn to the behavior of the sheep in response to the barking of the dog. Most shepherds with large flocks keep a dog or two to help them control the sheep.
Christian shared with me how he was perplexed by the sheep’s response to the dog. It seemed irrational to him that the sheep could be so intimidated by this smaller animal running around yapping his head off.
Yet again Christian’s comments seemed to expand and reinforce my sheep philosophy … my conviction of the parallels between the actions of a flock of sheep and humanity. Christian’s comments reminded me how irrational it is that the compliance of the many is so easily subrogated to the rule of so few. In mainstream culture, referred to by some as ‘dominator culture’, the dog or two symbolize the ruling elite and the flock of sheep symbolize mankind.
The pervasive use of terrorist propaganda by the ruling elite (global ruling elite) seems to produce the same result as the dog barking at the sheep. The vast majority of people in the world are not affected by actual terrorist activities. Yet the compliance of the weak prevails.
How long will this continue? In my opinion not much longer. The flock … humanity … will wake up to the deceptions propagated by the elite and will withdraw their compliance.
Perhaps some members of our medical community have recently provided the answer to the above dilemma posed by Augustine in 400 AD. The medical community has proven the mortality rate amongst newborn babies is higher for those who do not receive cuddling and affection … “the human touch”. Surely this need for connection through touch is an innate and permanent human characteristic. The image of a premi lying in an incubator comes to mind. While the infant has the warmth and nutrition required for survival, doctors have found that touching the infant, even the simple touch of a finger, improves the chances of survival.
True at birth, seems to me that this need for “the human touch” must hold true throughout our lives … as important at age 80 as at birth. The ‘will’ to live seems predicated on the knowing that we are not alone … we are connected … we belong!
Have you ever asked yourself … What is going on? … Where are we? … Where are we headed? What will we do when we get there?
We often hear the expression ‘the evolution of mankind’. The word evolution infers movement, figuratively speaking, from Point A to Point B. We live in the times referred to as Point A … Where is Point B? … What does life look like at Point B? … and … What is this phenomenon of movement? ( or ‘torrent’ as expressed by Augustine)
For the past several years, the notion of evolution as ‘movement’ tickled my mind. Setting aside recorded history, Darwinian theory and religious dogma, I reflected only on the notion of ‘movement’. The meditations seemed to be inspired by my frequent observations of flocks of sheep, while traveling through the Middle East, Europe and most recently Spain.
The first occurrence was in 1996 … on top of a mountain in Bosnia Hertzgovina.
While sitting there, I heard the sound of cow bells … seemed strange … why would there be cow bells ringing on top of this mountain? In a few moments a small flock of sheep and their shepherd arrived on top of the mountain.
How exciting! … especially for someone who grew up in Canada where sheep are raised in barns and fenced enclosures. I had only ever read or watched on television shepherds wandering the countryside and mountains with their sheep.
Here at the dawn of the 21st century was an authentic shepherd with his sheep … wow!
Several years later … after seeing many flocks of sheep in various circumstances always with their shepherds … I found myself thinking … when a large flock of sheep is moving along most of the sheep … almost all of the sheep … can only see the ‘butt’ of the sheep in front of them.
They have no idea where they are going or what the terrain they are passing through looks like.
A few years later it occurred o me … not only can all they see is the ‘butt’ in front of them … worse yet … they have no choice but keep their nose glued to the ‘butt’ of the sheep walking in front of them … they cannot stop … the sheep behind them will trample them …they cannot move forward … or sideways … there are countless sheep pressing them on all sides … hmmm! Seems they are not willing to leave the flock … seems sheep also feel safe and secure through ‘belonging’.
“Theory … is won as the result of a process that begins when consciousness first experiences its own terrible ossification in the general reification of all things under capitalism; then when consciousness generalizes (or classes) itself as something opposed to other objects, and feels itself as contradiction to ( or crisis within) objectification, there emerges a consciousness of change in the status quo; finally, moving toward freedom and fulfillment, consciousness looks ahead to complete self-realization, which is of course the revolutionary process stretching forward in time, perceivable now only as theory or projection”
Edward Said (Traveling Theory)
Said argues that theory can “threaten reification, as well as the entire bourgeois system on which reification depends, with destruction”
“ Turn those stones into bread and I will follow you anywhere”
“This sense of worldly, “mapped” movement is also why it may be worth holding on to the term “travel” despite its connotations of middle class “literary” or recreational journeying, spatial practices long associated with male experiences and virtues. “Travel” suggests, at least, profane activity, following public routes and beaten tracks. How do different populations, classes and genders travel? What kinds of knowledges, stories, and theories do they produce? A crucial research agenda opens up”
James Clifford (Notes on Travel and Theory)
“Woe to you, torrent of human custom! Who can stand against you?”
Are there any parallels with this image and human life?
If so … Who is the shepherd?
Some time later I was sharing my above sheep philosophy with a man from Scotland over a beer in the local Spanish Bar. After listening to my story he offered another version of sheep philosophy. He told me a story about sheep farmers in his country. When the farmer is penning the sheep at night, seems there is always one sheep who refuses to go into the pen. The farmer chases him around for a while and finally gives up and closes the pen, leaving this solitary sheep locked out.
Meditating on this story I found several parallels with my own life.
• The sheep pen represents our culture. We are ‘penned’ in by our culture … the boundaries of acceptable behavior is defined and we are expected to conform and abide by the rule of law. We are penned in!
• Throughout history there have always been renegades, those individuals who refused to follow and simply created a different pen Luther and the Protestant movement is a good example.
A few days later, still excited about this new spin on my sheep philosophy, I shared both versions with Bernadette. She obviously listened intently because she turned to me and said “Bruce … you are circling the pen.” She saw me in the story. How exciting this revelation was for me! Clearly, my wandering aimlessly for the previous several years could be summed up with the words “you are circling the pen”. These few words resonated so deeply in my inner self. I had literally walked away from mainstream society, yet despite being on the fringe of society my innate yearning to belong kept me within spitting distance of mainstream society. I was not prepared for the life of a hermit.
This reality was reinforced with discussions with Xavier, the young cook at the hotel in Nerja where I worked as a dishwasher. Xavier also saw through the thin veneer of my story, he saw my hypocrisy, the insincerity of my ranting against mainstream culture. He asked me one day … “How did you get to Spain? Did you take an airplane? Knowing the answer before he asked told me he simply wanted to remind me that I was still quite content to participate in the privileges of mainstream culture. Ouch! This day I too saw my hypocrisy!!
One day while walking through a remote part of southern Spain (my pilgrimage along the Ruta de la Plata) I heard a sheep bellowing, what a sad sound! The noise woke me from my day dreaming and I looked around for the circumstances that would create such a cry. Turns out there was a solitary sheep locked inside a small pen while a large flock of sheep were grazing 50-100 meters away.
Again this image and sound resonated deep within me. I could see myself as the solitary sheep locked in the pen. By this time I had spent several years mostly alone, watching family, friends and strangers enjoying the fruits of mainstream society while I was in a self imposed exile. I was sad, lonely and at times desperate … I often wanted to cry out … let me back in! … I want to become part of mainstream culture again! Yet over and over again circumstances prevailed that would not allow me to voluntarily rejoin mainstream. I would stay on the narrow path and try to suffer quietly, retaining some dignity.
Finally, one last contribution to my sheep philosophy received from a fellow pilgrim. While walking the Camino Santiago with a young man named Christian I once again found myself sharing my sheep philosophy. On this day Christian seemed to listen sympathetically but offered no response. A day or so later I met up with Christian again. As often happens on the Camino, pilgrims walk together a for short time, get separated and meet again at some other point along the road.
When I met up with Christian again he wanted to share an experience he had since the last time we chatted, an experiencing involving sheep. Christian had been walking along and encountered a flock of sheep in the area. Perhaps prodded by my story, he observed their behavior. Christian was drawn to the behavior of the sheep in response to the barking of the dog. Most shepherds with large flocks keep a dog or two to help them control the sheep.
Christian shared with me how he was perplexed by the sheep’s response to the dog. It seemed irrational to him that the sheep could be so intimidated by this smaller animal running around yapping his head off.
Yet again Christian’s comments seemed to expand and reinforce my sheep philosophy … my conviction of the parallels between the actions of a flock of sheep and humanity. Christian’s comments reminded me how irrational it is that the compliance of the many is so easily subrogated to the rule of so few. In mainstream culture, referred to by some as ‘dominator culture’, the dog or two symbolize the ruling elite and the flock of sheep symbolize mankind.
The pervasive use of terrorist propaganda by the ruling elite (global ruling elite) seems to produce the same result as the dog barking at the sheep. The vast majority of people in the world are not affected by actual terrorist activities. Yet the compliance of the weak prevails.
How long will this continue? In my opinion not much longer. The flock … humanity … will wake up to the deceptions propagated by the elite and will withdraw their compliance.