Calling Keith. Come in Keith. :-)

[Cuban]

[emoji2] Yeah, I know this is a strange place for me to be. Nevertheless... here I am!

OK, there aren't a lot of people that I would ask, to help me with this question, but you're one. It's a kinda light hearted thing I've been wrestling with for a while now, and I'm interested in your take, if you don't mind. It's not a big deal, just a little thought bubble really...

OK. In this simple scenario, which undoubtedly came from childhood, there is a large flock of sheep, being watched over by a shepherd, using his walking cane and a few sheep dogs. Cool. There are also wolves roaming about trying to prey on the sheep. OK, you got the picture...

Well, in this simple setup, I don't believe I'm present, so I never know where to place myself. It's not important, its just I'd like to know where I fit in. Or not. I'll say this...

I'm not one of the sheep. I know most people would say that, but in my case it's soooo true. My whole life so far has shown me that. If there's one word you could use to describe me after I'm gone, it would be unconvensional. Yeah, I spelled that differently. lol

OK, so I'm not one of the sheep. Cool. Now, I'm certainly not the shepherd, because, frankly, I don't give a shit about the sheep. They can all throw themselves off a cliff as far as I'm concerned, wouldn't bother me a bit. I would be amazed at the stupidity, but wouldn't care.

I'm not the wolf. There's not one part of me that wants or needs to prey on anything. Period. I'm not even competitive. Not the wolf.

I'm not the sheep dog. You can't tell me what to do. As a matter of fact, if you do, I'll do the opposite, for spite. Even against my own better judgement, I'll rebel. Plus we already know I don't give a shit about the sheep. So... not the sheep dog.

I can't be the walking cane because that would just be stupid, and a total waste of my talent. I'm also not the shepherd's robe, so don't go getting funny. Nobody wears this guy.

So where does this leave a guy like me? Is there some other character I need to draw into the scenario? It's a simple little situation, maybe it needs something else? I'm at a loss. As I said, there aren't many people I would listen to, but I'm a good judge of character, and I've already told myself to consider your words. I know you've done your homework.

* I hope you appreciate the fact that I didn't drop myself into the highest position of this scenario.

Oh, and you're one of the sheep dogs. [emoji41]




Edit: It just occurred to me to tell you something you may already know... I have a very active imagination, so I could easily have dropped other characters into this scenario, like a merchant from town, or the local blacksmith or whatever, but that wouldn't resolve the issue or help me with the bigger picture, so that's why I'm here. Thanks. [emoji41]

[Fred]

Interesting picture you've conjured up there, Im trying to place myself in this situation too. But I dont see how I could fit in.

Maybe just maybe over on the far left of the picture is another farmer looking over the wall.

This man would be very unpopular and piss of all the sheep and all the dogs and the farmer.

Strangley before he started keeping sheep the Farmer was warned that keeping sheep was not easy. But he went ahead with it any way convinced he would be able to handle it. I mean how hard could it be--they are just dumb sheep and he had kept honey bees for a living without any problems at all.

So he got some old dogs totally untrained thinking they would be good enough, well you know they kinda walk about a bit and looked like sheep dogs.

Actually to tell you the truth I talked to one of the sheep who had no idea he was a sheep!!!!!. He had been told he was a grass eating machine.

Isnt that weird. I got to stop eating cheese.

[Fred]

Oh I don’t know... maybe you’re the guy who so badly feels a void in his life that he is trying to reconcile where he fits in by relating it to the quintessential picture of followers, a leader, protectors and predators. One could make the argument every person falls into one of those categories.

But I think you are a sheep, but not one in the flock in your scenario. You’re the rebel sheep who didn’t stay with the flock and wandered off alone. Now you’re looking back at the rest trying to figure out if you should carry on solo or cry out for help from the shepherd. You know staying the course alone will mean you’ll die at the hands (paws) of one of the wolves, but you aren’t sure you want to go rejoin the rest of the sheep who are being protected and led to a longer life.

Interesting scenario. I wonder where you read it? Is someone taking a philosophy class? [emoji2]

A sheep wandered off? so your saying the dogs failed in their duty. You are also suggesting the wolves are'nt up to it iether.

I would say it was the ultimate responsibility of the farmer to make the sheep feel unwanted.

[Fred]

Oh I don’t know... maybe you’re the guy who so badly feels a void in his life that he is trying to reconcile where he fits in by relating it to the quintessential picture of followers, a leader, protectors and predators. One could make the argument every person falls into one of those categories.

But I think you are a sheep, but not one in the flock in your scenario. You’re the rebel sheep who didn’t stay with the flock and wandered off alone. Now you’re looking back at the rest trying to figure out if you should carry on solo or cry out for help from the shepherd. You know staying the course alone will mean you’ll die at the hands (paws) of one of the wolves, but you aren’t sure you want to go rejoin the rest of the sheep who are being protected and led to a longer life.

Interesting scenario. I wonder where you read it? Is someone taking a philosophy class? [emoji2]

A sheep wandered off? so your saying the dogs failed in their duty. You are also suggesting the wolves are'nt up to it iether.

I would say it was the ultimate responsibility of the farmer to make the sheep feel unwanted.

Why would a farmer want the sheep to feel unwanted?

He would'nt It was a typo. You hav'nt worked this out yet have you.

[Fred]

No I knew it was a typo that’s why I quoted it in case you went back and fixed it. You wanted to talk smack but when two little letters change the entirety of your post, you kinda lose steam.

Maybe you should play this game with someone else? I don’t think you come well enough equipped to hang with me.

What!!! an irish police man.

Have you worked out yet who you are in the picture,-- no you are not the wolf.

Any way my chair calls me and my 12 noon tea.

[Cuban]

Oh I don’t know... maybe you’re the guy who so badly feels a void in his life that he is trying to reconcile where he fits in by relating it to the quintessential picture of followers, a leader, protectors and predators. One could make the argument every person falls into one of those categories.

[emoji2] Thanks for taking the time Keith. No void here though buddy. I can see where that could fit with a lot of others, but in my case... nope. I think I know myself pretty damn good, and I'm actually quite happy with me. I've never been "the grass is greener on the other side" sort of person, and also never the "keep up with the Jonses" type either. I think these traits point to contentment, and that is how I feel. I'm a strange one. lol

But I think you are a sheep, but not one in the flock in your scenario. You’re the rebel sheep who didn’t stay with the flock and wandered off alone. Now you’re looking back at the rest trying to figure out if you should carry on solo or cry out for help from the shepherd. You know staying the course alone will mean you’ll die at the hands (paws) of one of the wolves, but you aren’t sure you want to go rejoin the rest of the sheep who are being protected and led to a longer life.

[emoji2] I'll say this... if I'm a black sheep, (is it possible?), I'm not one to be fucked with. This one will take you down with him no problem. Wolves don't scare this one. Hey! Wait a second... Maybe I'm a white wolf! Is there such a character? The lone wolf who is good, but not too good? I've told my own mother recently that I'm not as nice a person as one would endeavour to be. I'm OK, but not that nice. Maybe I'm the white wolf... if this is true, then you did help me! I knew it! [emoji106]

Interesting scenario. I wonder where you read it? Is someone taking a philosophy class? [emoji2]

C'mon man... that's the classic 'The Lord is my Shepherd' scenario. You knew that.
~ The White Wolf

[KAJUN]

Enjoy your tea.

There's only two ways to handle a pest....
either you don't pay attention to it and put up with it's nonsense
or you take a fly swatter and end the matter

[Fred]

WTF every one is writing their autobiographies., Is it a full moon in USA.

[Designer]

[emoji2] I'll say this... if I'm a black sheep, (is it possible?), I'm not one to be fucked with. This one will take you down with him no problem.

[Fred]

@Cuban, I knew. I was just needling you with that last paragraph. There can only be the wolf, the sheep, and the shepherd. People can only be the sheep. The difference is where the sheep happens to be. Either he is in the flock or he isn’t. Sometimes we struggle with our identity but mostly that’s a pride issue. We often think ourselves as something we are not. Anyway thanks for the thread specifically geared toward me. I’ve enjoyed the interaction even if Fred came into the mix and tried to flip over the table.

Thank you Keith --as always calm composed response teaching us the positions we all have difficulty with in life. Its so comforting to have guidance from an Irish policeman.

I guess you still had your uniform on when you wrote that,--do you ever take it off.

Ive posted this elsewhere too but I thought it poignant.


Faith and Religion
Discuss these subjects at your own risk!
You may find your way to Eden or the garden of Hell!
I will NOT be responsible for where you might end up!

Not exactly true is it.

[Cuban]

@Cuban, I knew. I was just needling you with that last paragraph. There can only be the wolf, the sheep, and the shepherd. People can only be the sheep. The difference is where the sheep happens to be. Either he is in the flock or he isn’t. Sometimes we struggle with our identity but mostly that’s a pride issue. We often think ourselves as something we are not.

[emoji2] Wait. We're ALL the sheep? Oh no no no no... that's wayyyy too simplistic for me man. I had a brief moment there when I thought I might be the snake in this picture, but discounted that after you helped me to understand that I was, in fact, The White Wolf©. So thanks for that.

Anyway thanks for the thread specifically geared toward me. I’ve enjoyed the interaction even if Fred came into the mix and tried to flip over the table.

[emoji2] I'm pretty sure I made you smile, and I'm good with that. Greets to your lovely wife.

~ The White Wolf©

[jeffcoslacker]

See, there's this passage I got memorized.
Ezekiel 25:17. "The path of the
righteous man is beset on all sides
by the inequities of the selfish and
the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is
he who, in the name of charity and
good will, shepherds the weak through
the valley of the darkness. For he
is truly his brother's keeper and
the finder of lost children. And I
will strike down upon thee with great
vengeance and furious anger those
who attempt to poison and destroy my
brothers. And you will know I am the
Lord when I lay my vengeance upon
you." Now I been sayin' that shit for
years. And if you ever heard it, it
meant your ass. I never really
questioned what it meant. I thought
it was just a coldblooded thing to
say to a motherfucker before I popped
a cap in his ass. But I saw some
shit this mornin' made me think twice.
Now I'm thinkin', it could mean you're
the evil man. And I'm the righteous
man. And Mr. 9 millimeter here, he's the
shepherd protecting my righteous ass
in the valley of darkness. Or it
could mean you're the righteous man
and I'm the shepherd and it's the
world that's evil and selfish. I'd
like that. But that shit ain't the
truth. The truth is you're the weak.
And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But
I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to
be the shepherd.

[Fred]

See, there's this passage I got memorized.
Ezekiel 25:17. "The path of the
righteous man is beset on all sides
by the inequities of the selfish and
the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is
he who, in the name of charity and
good will, shepherds the weak through
the valley of the darkness. For he
is truly his brother's keeper and
the finder of lost children. And I
will strike down upon thee with great
vengeance and furious anger those
who attempt to poison and destroy my
brothers. And you will know I am the
Lord when I lay my vengeance upon
you." Now I been sayin' that shit for
years. And if you ever heard it, it
meant your ass. I never really
questioned what it meant. I thought
it was just a coldblooded thing to
say to a motherfucker before I popped
a cap in his ass. But I saw some
shit this mornin' made me think twice.
Now I'm thinkin', it could mean you're
the evil man. And I'm the righteous
man. And Mr. 9 millimeter here, he's the
shepherd protecting my righteous ass
in the valley of darkness. Or it
could mean you're the righteous man
and I'm the shepherd and it's the
world that's evil and selfish. I'd
like that. But that shit ain't the
truth. The truth is you're the weak.
And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But
I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to
be the shepherd.

Well thats what happens when you apply religion to help in solving a dilemma or just a confusion when actually it is quite simple.

Strange that you think the gun as the shepherd when it is a weapon. Without it the human would not feel in power or control and become equal and just a pile of snot and shit which is ALL he is..

The gun is the shepherds crook,--a tool useless unless in the hand of a shepherd. Without the Sheppard it is nothing but you say the gun/crook is the shepherd.

So the gun is the shepherd, the wise one , the equalizer, the killer. But guns don't kill do they.

without religion and unnecessary confusion it is a murderer, a victim and a murder weapon.

[jeffcoslacker]

Please tell me you saw this movie. It was one of the coolest scenes ever. But you have to see it in the context of the whole show.

[youtube][/youtube]

[Fred]

Its a film, ---its a story-- Its made up for entertainment, just like anything else is.

It says to me that who has the gun can shout loudest and gets to say what happens. So each bag of blood and snot wants the gun.

Simple human beings.

A simple story made in America where guns are loved and power is craved for.. So you can shoot some one for parking their car where you wanted to.( shoot means to take their life from their wife and children)

The total irrational behavior of the woman that wanted to pee proves my point. Absolutely nothing without the gun.

Did you notice the other patrons in the cafe, they had no gun so had no part.

Without any gun in the film there would have been no incident at all.

So all immature humans in America see this and say --wow so if I had a gun I can not be in any trouble ever again. and next time he goes to toys R us that fat guy aint gonna tell his kid to queue up to see Santa ever again.....

[jeffcoslacker]

First you tell me it's make believe....and then go on to tell me how it's reality.

Can't have it both ways.

And the guy that started the ruckus was a Kiwi. Should I take a lesson there as well? [emoji2]

Actually the point of interest in the scene was that these two nobs pull out guns in the diner and start a strong-arm robbery and you the viewer know that Jules and Vincent, both mob hitmen who have had a REALLY bad day and are more than capable of solving this little issue with some gunplay, instead resolve it peacefully by way of Jules's recent religious epiphany and his perhaps misguided attempts to be objective and understand his purpose now.

You think you're going to see a lopsided shootout, but instead you get something very different. That was the cool part.

Now you could read into it more than what was actually presented, extrapolating from the personalities and events as presented, and say something like Jules had actually killed people many times before, in cold blood, just as business. And he had faced people with guns before who probably thought that just the threat was enough, and it didn't work out well for them. So he could see that Ringo and his girl were just small-time hoods, not killers, and weren't ready or willing to take it to that level. Which was, in conjunction with his recent feeling that he'd been spared from death by divine intervention, what gave him the confidence to take control of the situation in the manner that he did. It wasn't the gun that gave him the power, it was his belief. The gun was used because it was the most direct way of making Ringo and the girl understand how serious he was, the only power they were initially going to respect in that particular situation.

As he said, he knows the gun figures into the scenario, but he's just not sure what role it plays in that moment. Because, as he mentioned, he's in a transitional period and still trying to work out how all the pieces fit. But for probably the first time in his life, he sees it as a tool to save lives rather than to take them.

That's why Tarantino movies are fun. There's more than one way to interpret them, the characters are multi-dimensional and do things that surprise you at times.

Or you could just say it was a really long-winded and well-delivered "Make my day" moment. That would be the simplest take on it. But he didn't waste the punk after delivering it, did he?

[jeffcoslacker]

Here is the other epic Jules and Vincent scene, that shows how Jules started the day off, for counterpoint to how he ended it. Like any Tarantino movie, the timeline jump-cuts back and forth so someone did a nice thing here and edited the entire happenings in the apartment into one flow.

[youtube][/youtube]

Sorry about your thread, Cuban, but you seemed to have gotten what you wanted out of it. [emoji2]

[FallenAngel]

Well thats what happens when you apply religion to help in solving a dilemma or just a confusion when actually it is quite simple.

Strange that you think the gun as the shepherd when it is a weapon. Without it the human would not feel in power or control and become equal and just a pile of snot and shit which is ALL he is..

The gun is the shepherds crook,--a tool useless unless in the hand of a shepherd. Without the Sheppard it is nothing but you say the gun/crook is the shepherd.

So the gun is the shepherd, the wise one , the equalizer, the killer. But guns don't kill do they.

without religion and unnecessary confusion it is a murderer, a victim and a murder weapon.

Oh you poor thing Fred
This is make believe It didn't really happen No body was scared and no body almost peed their pants. It was all made up except for
THE
Bad Mother Wallet $25 (Port Orchard)
Officially Licensed Men's Bad Mother Wallet Bi-fold Embroidered Brown Genuine Leather
The only officially licensed wallet by Miramax, LLC
Hand-made leather bi-fold wallet
Words are embroidered not printed

[FallenAngel]

Its a film, ---its a story-- Its made up for entertainment, just like anything else is.
.

Correct hence the Name
Pulp Fiction

[FallenAngel]

It says to me that who has the gun can shout loudest and gets to say what happens.

Simply Put Its make believe
Dont believe it
Its only a Movie