If nothing else, the events of the past few weeks have highlighted one of the many shortcomings of the human race. The perceived threat that has been invading people’s minds these past few weeks is just that: a perceived threat. I’m not talking about contracting a sometimes fatal disease but the possible shortage of a common household item, namely toilet paper. It would have been completely understandable if there was a threat to our supply of fresh produce or even tinned spaghetti, but toilet paper??

All of this started from one facebook post when someone commented that the toilet roll centres come from China so before long, we might not be able to get toilet paper. One simple comment that just snowballed. Never mind, that our toilet paper rolls are made in Australia. The Kleenex factory is in Millicent, SA; Sorbent have factories in NSW and Victoria, and the makers of Quilton have factories in Queensland, NSW and Western Australia.

But this panic over the possible shortage of toilet paper that has spread around Australia resulting in people hoarding enough for the next two years and even affray charges being laid on two people, is a perfect example of the Sheep Syndrome. People follow people, often to their detriment. If someone else is doing it, I must do it. If someone else is hoarding toilet paper, I must hoard toilet paper. I might not need it, but I don’t want to miss out. And with the influence of social media, this weakness of human nature is perpetuated even more.

The same thing happened with the report about Quaden Bayles, the nine year old with dwarfism being bullied at school. Due to a mistaken viewpoint of one person who questioned the age of the young boy, a barrage of negative and often berating posts appeared stating that he was in fact an adult, was lying to the public, and he was rich and ripping people off with his fund me page. All of this was incorrect, but it didn’t stop the Sheep Syndrome mentality from kicking in. People follow people often without any validity or truth to someone’s claims. This is the downside of social media where fear spreads like wildfire and people jump to conclusions and make assumptions without any factual basis.

In 2005 in Turkey, as reported by the Turkish media, shepherds saw a single sheep walk over a cliff and fall to its death. Then in horror, they watched as the rest of their flock of around 1500, followed the first sheep over the cliff. Around 450 died, with the only saving grace for the others being the soft pile of dead sheep at the bottom of the cliff that cushioned their fall. The shepherds were astounded as there was nothing they could do to stop this parade of death.
This is what a lot of people do. They follow the crowd without considering the consequences or checking the legitimacy of statements. They have a Sheep Syndrome mentality. Did you know that sheep are the most talked about animal in the Bible? There are many scriptures that compare people to sheep.

In Mark 6:34 it says, “Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things”. Jesus came to be our Shepherd. He came to lead us, to teach us, to care for us and to keep us safe.

In John 10:10-11 Jesus says: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep”. Jesus laid down his life so that we could have a life of meaning and purpose, not just following the masses but following the good Shepherd, as King David said in Psalm 23: “The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake”.

Let’s be sheep who follow the Shepherd, discerning and following His voice instead of listening to all of the noise out there, and maybe those around us will follow us down the road to salvation and eternal life instead of following others who will lead them to hopelessness and destruction.

Time to flourish
Helen.