Beyond the limits of present historical memory there have always been stories and fables hinting at the existence of such a situation for mankind. Fables and allegories are one of the many means adopted by Schools for passing on a concealed knowledge which may yet become available to those in a position to interpret them correctly.
One of these tales is the "Myth Of The Black Sheep". This story is a genuine myth. It contains many authentic elements of higher knowledge, and those elements, moreover, are concealed to the extent that we are not directly told to whom the story really refers.
✥ ✥ ✥
The tale tells of a shepherd and his flock of sheep. To the latter the shepherd takes on the aspect of a beneficial being, indeed of a beneficial god. He continually addresses himself to their welfare and he employs what can seem to them to be only supernatural and unimaginable means to assure their safety and to rescue any of their number who may have the misfortune to wander away and become lost or to fall into some other jeopardy.
He leads them to shelter against the cold and he provides them with the food and other requirements necessary for their existence. He takes very good care of them, much better care indeed than they could assure for themselves. It is therefore no source of wonder that they should look upon him as genuinely concerned with their welfare and entertain toward him feelings of grateful awe.
The shepherd himself, however, has purposes in relation to these sheep of which they are unaware. These purposes would much astonish the sheep if the latter were to know them; they are concerned first with the supply of wool and later with the supply of mutton. In fact the sheep have somewhat seriously mistaken the shepherd's motives, for his care of them is occasioned primarily by considerations that the wool should be thick and useful for the shepherd's (not the sheep's) kind and that the meat should be well nourished and tender when it is finally brought to market. These values, held by the shepherd and the real causes of his behaviour, relate to matters either entirely beyond the knowledge or the understanding of the ordinary sheep.
An ordinary sheep, as can be seen at a glance, is white. He and his fellows, as alike as so many peas in a pod, make up the vast majority of the sheep population. But very occasionally at long intervals there appears an unusual sort of sheep whose presence can also be seen at a glance, for this is a black sheep. The black sheep is both more sceptical and far cleverer that the ordinary member of the flock and, while taking care to present an appearance of conformity in his daily sheep-like behaviour, he is all the time directing his attention to the little anomalies which seem to contradict the general views held by his companions. The annual shearing, for instance, is certainly done at a time of year when the sheep will be least discommoded by it; yet it really seems a strange proceeding and, upon serious reflection, one that can scarcely be thought of as motivated primarily by a concern for the sheep's comfort. The black sheep also speculates upon the problem raised by the unaccounted for disappearances of his compatriots just when they have reached their manifest prime; and he explores various hypotheses in an endeavour to explain to himself these peculiar happenings. Many a black sheep never arrives at any satisfactory conclusions upon these questions before his turn at the butcher's comes around, but very occasionally some unusually clever specimen contrives to see what he should not see or overhear a conversation at which he is not presumed to be present. And thus he learns the secret.
We may imagine his consternation as the truth becomes known to him. The situation is not only a shocking surprise, it is also so contrary to established opinions and convictions as to overturn them completely. Every seriously held life-view concerning sheephood is destroyed at a stroke. And supposing the sheep to experience some feeling of solidarity with his paler brothers, we may next imagine his concern to share with them the information he has discovered regarding their desperate circumstances. A large proportion of the black sheep who have by some chance reached this position, do not proceed beyond it, for hastily to blurt out the dreadful news not only arouses the disapproving incredulity of the other sheep, but is calculated likewise to bring matters to the attention of the shepherd.
There is a ready means at hand to quash such subversive activity; it consists of a premature trip to the slaughterhouse, inevitable later in any case for this remarkable fellow who is both too clever and yet not quite clever enough.
Still, at very long intervals indeed, there does occur a black sheep of such outstanding acumen that he avoids this pitfall, too, and is thrown back upon the most sober consideration of what to do for the best. Such a sheep has lost his peace of mind once and for all; and he soon comes to realise that in his extremity nothing will suffice except to add an equal degree of courage to the intelligence which had brought him to his present pass. To remain where he is, is certain death even (in his own conditions) a sort of deliberate suicide. But what then is he to do? It would be hard enough to escape the watchful eye of the shepherd and, even if such a miracle were accomplished, where would he find fodder to keep himself alive or shelter from the winter which he knows will surely come? All these necessities have always been provided for him; he lacks any knowledge himself as to how to go about obtaining them. Would it perhaps be better to forget the whole thing, to enjoy life, in many respects obviously suited to sheephood and to resign himself to the fate which will overtake him only a little sooner than need be in any case? And so, finally, we many imagine in what straits our black sheep struggles with all these alternatives.
At the end of the fable we are told of a black sheep which came to a final decision. Having waited interminably for a possible opportunity, that black sheep disappeared one dark night from the fold and could not thereafter be found.
It had escaped.......we are not told what happened to it after that.
Source: Unknown
No comments:
Post a Comment