牧羊人 The sheepman's world.
2016
a short story by Tan Wei
The sheepman awakes in the early hours of the morning as the sheep begins to stir.
But have it ever occurred to you that perhaps the sheepman was the one who adjusted himself to the sheep’s schedule rather than otherwise.
And so…Why does the sheepman’s world matters?
Well.
...
Let me begin by first talking about the sheep.
The sheep’s intelligence is in fact on par with that of the cattle, merely a rank below the pig. Besides, they are also known to be the only larger animal apart from the monkeys that had been shown to be able to perform executive cognitive tasks.
Now you may wonder…
Why do they still follow the flock then?
Well, it’s inherent nature; gregariousness in these creatures plays a large part in this matter.
But most importantly, the sheep does so for group protection.
Yet, its nature has often been seen as its inherent flaw exemplified in tales where the sheep leaps of the cliff following the mate in front of them one after another.
And indeed, I talk about the sheep as the simplest of creatures for the world is all interconnected just like how the sheep are dependent on the shepherd for its survival
One of the main reason I use the language of film and photography as my medium of choice has alway been because it is very much so a medium that allows me to cling on to my sense of pride as I feel that with words, we tend to overexpose our ego.
Yet I’ve always had a strange affinity with it, much as I was reluctant to write.
I learnt over time that my writings are essentially an extension of myself which enables me to understand my thoughts on a deeper level.
In case you'd think I've long forgotten about the sheepman.
Well.
The world is a universe of interconnectivity.
And in a world like such, we often cross path with the sheepman unknowingly.