The Blind Man Society

Today, I’m sitting here thinking about being a Black Sheep.

Writing about Black Sheeps, can be like writing about Fun Uncles. You have to show proper respect, and realize that being a Black Sheep is a gift of a kind. I am reminded of the metaphor of the Black Sheep: A black sheep is a metaphor for someone who stands out from the group—often a family or community—because of their differences in behavior, beliefs, or lifestyle. Unlike the rest of the “flock,” they defy expectations, challenge traditions, or refuse to conform to established norms.

In my experience, taking the road less traveled is a great thing. And sometimes, Black Sheeps are the ones leading the charge. In the work place, Black Sheeps are often agents of change, and their unorthodox leadership styles defeat just about everything that comes along.

Being a Black Sheep myself, I jsut know that I never fit in with people or with established systems growing up. Finally, I just cut from the program one day and said, that like Frank Sinatra, I was going to do it MY way. And, things worked out pretty well after, if I do say so myself.

People sometimes fear the one constant out there other than death and taxes – the idea of change. Black Sheeps live in ambiguity a lot, and they are fearless leaders in whatever fields they choose – people look to them in times of strife for leadership and to point the way. What is the way? The know. And, it looks a bit like the below:

In closing, being a Black Sheep is very hard when you are younger. But, the very things that you are demonized for along the way by the herd saying that’s bad – are usually the same skills and qualities that are going to take you all the way to the top. Many Black Sheeps get blamed, are called “bad” or serve as targets of a family for just about everything that goes wrong. But, like the Harlequin, who in literature is the smartest one in the room because NOBODY takes him seriously, the observant Black Sheep learns a lot along the way. AC/DC said its a long way tot the top if you want to Rock and Roll – many Sheeps have a rough road early on. But, At 51 years of age, everybody I meet that was one, including myself, displays the badge proudly and sometimes says that it made all the difference in getting where they finally needed to be.

I cannot remember how many times people said don’t ever be like Jonathan when I was growing up as a Black Sheep. Until, I had some wins under my belt, and then, why can’t you be more like Jonathan! Walking a different and very special path, can be thankless and challenging sometimes….but it is worth it in the end!

I hope everyone is having a GREAT day out there! Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, and hopefully it helped some people out there to realize that sometimes what we consider to be a curse, is really a blessing in disguise. As always, please feel free to leave a comment in the box below, and have a fantastic day!