A Wolf Among the Sheep

But there again, I fall into my own trap by citing that dichotomy: Me vs the world.

I agree, rugadd! I fall into the "Us vs Them" mentality all the time and it doesn't always serve me well. I tend to get caught in the echo chamber of Facebook politics a lot, and I know it doesn't help me to understand an issue any better. I become a sheep following along with the herd of other liberals rather than actually educating myself about both sides and making my own decisions. I also see anyone who takes a stand immediately labeled as a "troll", when they may actually be a wolf standing alone with an unpopular but valid opinion. I need to be less judgmental.

Thank you senan and manu and others for your support. I think the point of this thread has been proven. I'm not the aggressor here, others are. The paradigm of the sheep and the wolf is a false dichotomy. Neither one exists in a pure state. We are all sheep and wolves and a myriad of other archetypes all combined into one. Your preconceptions, zenchi, and proteus and others are your failure, not mine.

There are no Wolfves here ...Wolves dont perform in the circus

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote: Thank you senan and manu and others for your support. I think the point of this thread has been proven. I'm not the aggressor here, others are. The paradigm of the sheep and the wolf is a false dichotomy. Neither one exists in a pure state. We are all sheep and wolves and a myriad of other archetypes all combined into one. Your preconceptions, zenchi, and proteus and others are your failure, not mine.

I think we all "can" be aggressors, at some point or another, sometimes unwittingly and sometimes willfully.

But when you call others aggressors, aren't you playing right into victimhood though? Save a few exceptions, I see no aggression here, only myriad metholodologies for exploring

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote: I'm not the aggressor here, others are.

Proteus wrote: The ego, while it has its necessities for discerning and protecting our place and identity in the world, is what tells us "they are 'this' and I am 'that'"

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote: Your preconceptions, zenchi, and proteus and others are your failure, not mine.

Proteus wrote: It is what tells us "They have said something and/or done something that must be one-upped, and this is my opportunity to upgrade my validity among this clan in hopes to solidify my feeling of belonging".

Are you so sure my preconceptions here are a failure?

Manu wrote:
I think we all "can" be aggressors, at some point or another, sometimes unwittingly and sometimes willfully.

But when you call others aggressors, aren't you playing right into victimhood though? Save a few exceptions, I see no aggression here, only myriad metholodologies for exploring

Oh stop being so analytical! :laugh: :silly:



Yes proteus, I do. What is this bed you have assumed I have made?

I am reminded of the phrase "a wolf in sheeps clothing," which I always took to mean an aggressive person trying to hide among the victims.

I knew a kid like that in school. He would goad kids into starting fights with him then start crying. As soon as the teachers looked away he'd wink at the kid who hit him. Once he couldn't get anyone to hit him so he hit himself. He was a scary kid. That's way harder to deal with than someone who just is openly aggressive.

I'm similarly reminded of the story of the boy who cried "wolf". People who constantly deceive others tend to end up getting what is coming to them in the end. If your a wolf right now, be a wolf. Don't pretend to be a sheep. If you see a wolf, cry "wolf", but don't do it if you're looking at a sheep. People will catch on to you pretty quickly and eventually nobody will trust you, even if you are being real at that specific moment. It is all about being genuine, while also recognizing that we can be both the wolf and the sheep at the same time as has been pointed out earlier in this thread. People have a way of being chameleons in that sense. We often switch roles or play many roles at once that aren't always consistent. Part of my Path here has been trying to recognize in myself when I am doing this and why. I'm trying harder to just be the genuine person I am and let the chips fall where they will, but I still fail at this quite often when my ego demands otherwise.

That is a rough one. If I am myself and myself changes depending on the circumstances, wouldn't that mean who I am is dependent on my environment at any given time? What can I hold too that applies in every situation? Even trying to be understanding and tolerant can backfire if we insist on doing so under the wrong circumstances...