"Lions don't lose sleep over the opinions of sheep."
So last week I saw this quote written on a co-worker's dry erase board at her desk. As soon as I saw it, I realized how logical this statement really is and how applicable to our lives it can be. So let's think about this for a second....
Also known as "The king of the jungle," the average lion stands 4 feet tall, 5-8 feet in length, and can weigh anywhere from 330-500 pounds. Its roar can be heard from over 5 miles away and their top speed has been recorded at up to 50 mph. There is a reason these carnivores are called the kings of the jungle. And if for some reason I had the opportunity to get near a full grown lion without a fence in between us, I'm 110% sure that you can count me out of taking advantage of that opportunity.
Now let's talk about sheep...
As much as we love the heart warming movie Babe about the lovable pig and all of his sheep friends, I'm sure we can all agree that sheep are not nearly as impressive as the rulers of the animal kingdom. The average weight of these grazing animals is 150-200 pounds, and usually stand between 2-3 feet tall. And there really isn't a recorded speed because.. well... they don't run. Also I'd like to add that sheep can be herded in large groups by one border collie alone. I personally love border collies but if we're being completely honest, they usually aren't very intimidating. So a herd of sheep, which can range from 5-50 of them, obey the commands of a dog that is very close to the same size as them, simply because they won't stand against it. In the human world we have a word for that... it's a coward.
Now why have I been rambling on about sheep and lion facts? Let's put it in imaginary terms for a second. Say that all of the animated movies about talking animals, and all of the animals in the kingdom living in harmony, are in fact true. (Keep in mind the animal statistics during this.) So the leader of a pride of lions has decided on a mate. He's decided that THIS is who he wants to raise lion cubs with and to stand by his side while leading the pride. But off to the side, there is a group of sheep. They're gossiping about this lioness that he has chosen and they really do not approve of his choice (for whatever irrelevant reason they can think of), even though they would never say this to the lion's face. The lion overhears, hangs his head, walks slowly back to his pride and immediately rethinks his decision.
So.. this 400 pound, 50 mph beast, is legitimately reconsidering his decision based on what a weak, cowardly sheep thinks about it. A sheep. Honestly... how ridiculous does that sound?
In the animal kingdom, this would be settled very quickly and very gorily. The sheep would be eaten alive and there would be no alternate opinions stated on the lion's choice of mate.
However, as humans, we don't live in a world where those sheep in our lives can be eliminated within the second. We live amongst them every day and because we are the domesticated ones in this story, we have to learn to tolerate them. Not all of us may be CEO's at our corporations or be the most popular person in high school, but we still walk amongst sheep. Now, just because you may not particularly care for a person, doesn't make them a sheep. Look at the characteristics of a sheep. They stick together in herds almost all the time, and even while in these large groups, they still obey the commands of a relatively small canine. They are even weaker alone. They scatter in the face of danger or confrontation. They would rather run along side the rest of the sheep instead of stand against the crowd. They may talk about how they plan on standing up to that border collie one day, but trust me, it will never happen. These are the sheep in your life.
So be a lion.
Also known as "The king of the jungle," the average lion stands 4 feet tall, 5-8 feet in length, and can weigh anywhere from 330-500 pounds. Its roar can be heard from over 5 miles away and their top speed has been recorded at up to 50 mph. There is a reason these carnivores are called the kings of the jungle. And if for some reason I had the opportunity to get near a full grown lion without a fence in between us, I'm 110% sure that you can count me out of taking advantage of that opportunity.
Now let's talk about sheep...
As much as we love the heart warming movie Babe about the lovable pig and all of his sheep friends, I'm sure we can all agree that sheep are not nearly as impressive as the rulers of the animal kingdom. The average weight of these grazing animals is 150-200 pounds, and usually stand between 2-3 feet tall. And there really isn't a recorded speed because.. well... they don't run. Also I'd like to add that sheep can be herded in large groups by one border collie alone. I personally love border collies but if we're being completely honest, they usually aren't very intimidating. So a herd of sheep, which can range from 5-50 of them, obey the commands of a dog that is very close to the same size as them, simply because they won't stand against it. In the human world we have a word for that... it's a coward.
Now why have I been rambling on about sheep and lion facts? Let's put it in imaginary terms for a second. Say that all of the animated movies about talking animals, and all of the animals in the kingdom living in harmony, are in fact true. (Keep in mind the animal statistics during this.) So the leader of a pride of lions has decided on a mate. He's decided that THIS is who he wants to raise lion cubs with and to stand by his side while leading the pride. But off to the side, there is a group of sheep. They're gossiping about this lioness that he has chosen and they really do not approve of his choice (for whatever irrelevant reason they can think of), even though they would never say this to the lion's face. The lion overhears, hangs his head, walks slowly back to his pride and immediately rethinks his decision.
So.. this 400 pound, 50 mph beast, is legitimately reconsidering his decision based on what a weak, cowardly sheep thinks about it. A sheep. Honestly... how ridiculous does that sound?
In the animal kingdom, this would be settled very quickly and very gorily. The sheep would be eaten alive and there would be no alternate opinions stated on the lion's choice of mate.
However, as humans, we don't live in a world where those sheep in our lives can be eliminated within the second. We live amongst them every day and because we are the domesticated ones in this story, we have to learn to tolerate them. Not all of us may be CEO's at our corporations or be the most popular person in high school, but we still walk amongst sheep. Now, just because you may not particularly care for a person, doesn't make them a sheep. Look at the characteristics of a sheep. They stick together in herds almost all the time, and even while in these large groups, they still obey the commands of a relatively small canine. They are even weaker alone. They scatter in the face of danger or confrontation. They would rather run along side the rest of the sheep instead of stand against the crowd. They may talk about how they plan on standing up to that border collie one day, but trust me, it will never happen. These are the sheep in your life.
So be a lion.
- Don't be afraid to stand alone and be the leader of a "pride" so to speak.
- Make your decisions based on what YOU think, what YOU believe to be true, and what YOU want to do.
- Take into consideration the opinions of the rest of your pride. They have your best interest at heart.
- Be confident in yourself and in the choices that you make.
- Have a rock solid faith that makes it impossible to listen to the sheep's sucky opinions.
- Don't lose sleep over what an ignorant, bigoted, selfish, cowardly, self seeking, or irrelevant person (or sheep) thinks about you or anything in your life.
- Have a voice, a platform or a valued opinion that has such an impact that it can be heard from miles away, much like a lions roar. (figuratively of course.)
So go to the college that YOU want to go to. Wear the clothes that YOU want to wear. Be passionate about what YOU want to be passionate about. (As long as it's in the plans of the real leader of our pride.) Because let's be honest, the people that are spending their time critiquing what you do have already admitting to being sheep. So let them talk. Let them tell lies and make up stories. Let them play the victim in their situations of life. Because as long as sheep have opinions, lions absolutely will not care. Learn to spot them and to pay them no mind.
And as innocent and irrelevant as the sheep's agenda may seem, don't always overlook them. Always beware of the wolf in sheep's clothing.
