The crowd. They are sheep, they are only a herd. But she, she does not wish to be a sheep in the herd. She does not need to be one to enjoy what life has to offer. She walks alone, hoping to appear strong, but the herd might perceive her as “the quiet one”. The label sticks because that’s who she is. Herself.
Identity. It’s what makes a person who they are. People often seem to lack their own individual identity, but she knows who she is. Ralph Waldo Emerson is a revolutionary individualist who says that “imitation is suicide”. He says that to be someone else kills your own identity. The sheep are almost always white, always blending into their herd. They are all the same. They stay near the trough because it is safe, it is what they know inside and out. It is their safe haven, the same rusty trough they feed from, the same trampled grass they stand on, and the same side of the weathered, wooden fence they trot to. She is the sheep that allows herself to stray from their safe haven because there is so much more in their fenced enclosure to explore. She does not need a companion because being alone allows her to discover even more. She can find others like her, other individuals who know that being one is far from suicide.
Habit. The sheep have become accustomed to a routine, it is like a habit for them now. They do not stray from routine because it seems that is all they know. When everyone is accustomed to habit, it’s hard to break, hard to stray from the group. Although curiosity is human nature, they often do not let themselves be curious of the other side of the enclosure because the rest of the herd is near the same trampled grass. They do not want to be judged for attempting to travel on a different path, an unknown place. They might even be afraid of what lies ahead, afraid of where they will be transported to. But she does not care what the rest think, she is willing to allow her curiosity to come to life. She has her own mindset, and she is willing to trample the fresh grass on the other side in order to question what that unknown place is able to offer.
Silent. She is not shy, it is different than being quiet. Too many confuse the two, although they share similarities. She is not afraid to speak, she only chooses who is worth speaking to. The sheep are often loud and outspoken with their constant “baa-ing”. They are not considerate of their fellow herd members and may be disliked for it it. It might not be intentional, but she still sees it as them trying to be another brick in the wall. They do it to blend in. She often stands out because she sometimes chooses to be silent rather than contribute.
Silence. She prefers silence over noise because noise means distractions. Silence is calming to her because it allows thought, and thought is like her safe haven, like an exit to another world. It is her own world that she has created for herself, composed of dark skies and candle lights simply because she prefers night over day. It is a realm of a neverending dream, a place she would rather be for a while and away from distractions that invade the thoughts, the dreams that could be. The dreams that most see as merely a figment of their imagination, she sees as another opportunity to stray from everyone else because she is alone in her own reality. The distractions are interruptions that take away from her reality. The reality she sees outside of her realm seems to be an act performed by others. It’s the sheep who put on a show for others in their herd, not for themselves. They do it to be just another sheep in the herd, another brick in the wall, another brick that blends in.
She isn’t just another sheep in the herd, or a brick in the wall. She is strong. She doesn’t always need a companion. She is quiet, not shy. She is a dreamer and a thinker with intentions far from ordinary. She is an individual.
ns 15.158.61.41da2
