Lt Col (RET) Dave Grossman wrote a book called On Combat (more information here), and in it he writes of a story told him by a Vietnam veteran. This veteran said "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.” He meant no disrespect; he was merely saying that they reflect the good and decent things that we all hope exist in life.
The veteran then said "“Then there are the wolves, and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy.” These are those bad elements in society, the ones that feel they are entitled to things they did not earn, and are willing to violently take what they want with no respect for their victims. I doubt anyone can honestly say that they disagree with this.
“Then there are sheepdogs,” he went on, “and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf.” Sheepdogs are those that intentionally put themselves in harms way, providing the Yang to the wolf's Yin. They stand prepared to defend the innocent, and to rescue the endangered.
To this point, I 100% agree with Col Grossman. And I also agree with him when he says the wolf fears the sheepdog, but so do the sheep. When you are a sheep, a canine is a canine, and they have trouble seeing the difference between the wolf and the sheepdog because they both growl and have sharp teeth. So sheepdogs often toil away with little fanfare, and gratitude from the sheep often only comes when the sheepdog has made a great personal sacrifice (sometimes the greatest sacrifice, the giving of their life).
This is where I have to diverge from the way many people have taken to interpret this analogy. It has become very popular to talk about ordinary citizens who have chosen to carry a weapon as being sheepdogs, prepared to step in anywhere and anytime they see injustice. To me, the true heroes are not the civilian "sheepdogs", but the law enforcement officers and military personnel who have sworn to protect society and uphold our rules. These are the people who we have charged with protecting us all from the pack of wolves that is constantly at the door trying to devoir the weakest of our flock. And I thank God that these people have chosen to do this.
Let me make it perfectly clear that I am one of those ordinary citizens who have chosen to carry a weapon. I carry it as much as possible given the confines of my non-martial lifestyle. Not many people know about this, and those that do usually treat me a little differently after they find out. But I have chosen to make changes in what I do, what I wear, where I go and how I deport myself so that I may safely and honorably protect myself and those that are most important to me.
And here lies the rub, the reason why I have to disagree with the common reference to concealed weapon permit holders as "sheepdogs". The purpose of a police and military is to protect society, but not necessarily each person individually. They are the people who keep our world in order, and who ensure that our life as we know it can continue on. My priority is different: my purpose in life is to protect and keep safe from harm a small, very specific group of people (including myself and those I hold dear).
I believe it is common for young sheepdogs (the real ones, on four legs) to be put in with the flock when they are very young. This allows them to form a bond with the flock, to become part of the flock, to love the flock and want to protect it. This is me; I am hopelessly bonded to my small flock and will do anything to keep them safe.
Am I saying that I will ignore any suffering that goes on around me outside my flock, or allow a wolf to attack a sheep when I can prevent it? Hell no. But I must never, ever, ever forget that my first duty is to my little group of people, and I can never do anything that will endanger them. I cannot put them in harm's way so I can protect someone outside that group. And I must remember that putting them in danger would include having something happen that would prevent me from doing my most sacred job. Does this make me a wimp, a poseur or a coward? Sticks and stones may break my bones, but I don't care what anyone else thinks as long as my chosen charges remain safe.
I am not some super ninja that stalks the night looking to stop evil-doers wherever they may be. Nor am I some commando or SWAT team member, who brings awesome firepower and tactics to bear that no wolf can defend against. I am one small man, humbly trying to protect my loved ones from any specific danger.
I'm kind of a sheepdog puppy.
There is another flaw in this idea of the sheepdog protector. As the real sheepdog grows to its full strength and power, he knows what his purpose is. He patrols the edges of his fields at night, and watches over his flock. But notice I said "his flock". Sheepdogs, contrary to what people who like this analogy believe, do not protect anything and everything. The sheepdog will not leave his field and abandon his flock to go to the next field and protect another flock. They have their own sheepdog, and what would happen if the wolf came around when he was away? No, no, a sheepdog is not a universal protector. He doesn't go looking for trouble, he will move his flock to the other side of the field to put distance between them and danger, and he will do what it takes to keep them safe.
Another interesting thing is that the sheepdog does not unilaterally target the wolf. He does not hate the wolf. He will not go searching him out and trying to end his life. His only concern is protecting his flock, and if the wolf keeps his distance and doesn't do anything threatening, the sheepdog does not even care that there is a wolf. In our human life, it is the police and military that are out there finding the threat BEFORE it can present itself. Me, I just keep my little band of people safe while they are away doing that.
So, I am NOT a sheepdog as many people define them. I am not an avenging soul protecting everyone. All I want to do is live my life, peacefully and happily with the people that I love and care about. I will do nothing to endanger them, and I will not do something that may cause me to be taken away from them so I may not protect them any more.
This blog will be a narrative of my development as I move through my concealed carry life. An ordinary man, with no delusions of grandeur and no impulse to eliminate the bad people of the world. If I am very lucky, I will never have to use the tool that dispenses death which I keep with me all the time. My job is not to kill the wolf; my job is to STOP the wolf and to protect my flock.
