subject: The smallest of them all ... The little Shepherd Boy [print this page] Speaking of leaders and leadership, a little Sheppard boy we see tending his flock, in apastoralsetting, can easily be classified on the lowest rung of the leadership ladder.
The description of the wordshepherd not only defines his occupation and his jurisdiction of authority andresponsibility - to his flock; but, most importantlyclearly defines hisinherently required COMPETENCE, which is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep. What's not written here, are, the unwritten characteristics of love, passion, devotion and commitmenthe needs to demonstrate towards his flock, for them to survive, and therefore entitle him to be classified as a good shepherd. All these requirements, and who are we talking about ? A little shepherd boy ! Now lets try to imagine him with any one of these qualities missing.
The first few lines of Psalm 23, from the Bible, as it metaphorically points to the shepherd's required multi-dimensional competence :
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters..."
In the times when this psalm was written - two thousand odd years ago - a shepherd was a considerably important component in social life - smack-bang in the middle of the AgriculturalRevolution - and was therefore sited as an ideally basic example. The knowledge and insight that sheep will never rest, much less, lie down near moving waters and would only lie down and sleep next to still waters ... the psalm goes on to highlight many more such pearls of wisdom that the shepherd needed to have. This was no lesson in animal husbandry, but, it was ametaphorlikening a good leader - from the smallest upwards, to the ultimate Creator, the Lord.
Imagine this very same metaphor being applied to today's context The Lord is my political leader; and then, we see the stark disparity in basic leadershipcalibre. We see the gaping holes, the diametric opposition to all that a basic leader - like the shepherd - needs to embrace to demonstrate and to discharge his leadership duties.
In just 6 decades of my lifetime I amastoundedto see the highest seats of leadership transform, or should I say, morphfrom the once dignified and dedicated statesmen to a bunch of arrogant, ignorant and self-centeredapologies for leadership - that are wolves in the midst of the human race, today. It is thismortallyunscrupulousbunch of vipers, who have villainously formed a vast nexus ofcollaborators, a grapevine, as it were, right from the pettycriminalon the road to the law and order enforcement agencies, thejudiciary and even right to the highest international forums and seats of power. A nexus that supports and legitimizes each others dark deeds just to consolidate their evil empires. The so called greatest democracies are transacting with rogue states, turning a blind eye to the values their founding fathers discerningly put in place.
With the majority of humanity coming from good, decent, and law-abiding families, what chance have their futuregenerationsof a level playing field - as far aslegitimatecompeting and survival are concerned.
Whats crucial here? It's my attempt to appeal to the masses of genuinely good people, that this is not so much about any ethical or moralstandpoint, but more about the stark reality, that this insanely criminal mentality - an apparent must for success today - is leading mankind toward impending mass-extinction.
It's the need for a rally cry from the voices of the majority - of good and decent people - to break the silence of the good, and speak up, with out fear.
The need for courage in these circumstances has never been more pivotal to our survival as a species. This rally cry is not about gaining or proving moral high-ground,it's about humanities survival on this beautiful planet. A planet that the little shepherd boy would not pollute and destroy; it's about the majority of silent, indifferent, genuinely good people raising up shepherds of the human flock, raising up their sons and daughters to this highest leadership caliber once more - to thenurturingand loving standards of mankind's CREATOR.It's fundamentally about us humans avoiding our impending MASS-EXTINCTION.
John D. Lazaro
The smallest of them all ... The little Shepherd Boy
