Medvedev Dmitriy: http://www.proza.ru/2013/02/28/1498
In one village, a lonely old man got himself a lamb. He carried it around as if it was his own child, cared for it and cherished it. But then, a decision was made to drive all the lambs into a common herd. Meaning, they’ll grow strong there, will gain collective experience and won’t burden their owners during the day. There was nothing to do but to turn in the pet angel as well.
“Worry not,” The shepherd comforted the old man. “I’ve been doing it for three score and three years. So many of his kind had passed under my care! All grew up to be docile sheep and rams, taking proper place in the herd and bringing good to all our community.
“But mine’s special!” The elder lamented. “And you just drive them into a bunch, even keeping the sick with the healthy. And when you drive them out, there’s such a jostle, that one wrong look and they’ll crush each other.”
But the shepherd just waved him off, as if saying, what would you know about it, an uneducated fool- such things never happened before. I have many years of experience in it, and who are you to tell me? The grandfather hesitated, but didn’t back off, trying to change something in the pack system for his precious one.
Still, no matter how much the old man tried to stand for his pet, everything failed. He spoke of the dry grass and the thorn-covered bushes at unfitting meadows. But the shepherd said that more than one herd went there, and nothing happened, the sheep just grew tougher. The grandfather brought up that they should be driven to a river further along, where the water flows, instead of the swampy valley nearby. But the herder just grew angry about being taught what he, as a professional, knows and does best.
The owner of the lamb worries about the winter chill and having the poor soul eating frozen and moldy stored food. But the usher kept talking about strengthening the body, many years of experience and unique approach.
“But how can you watch all of them,” The opponent raised his hands. “Because my lamb can be run over in such a crowd, and you won’t even noticed. And what if he wonders away from the herd?”
But the shepherd already set the young lamb with the others and drew the herd to the old meadow, as he threw over the shoulder:
“Fear not, everyone can be watched, besides I’ve got a decent hound to help me.”
The elder watched as the animal, much scarier than a wolf, drives those who lagged back to the herd, almost giving them a heart attack just with his growl, and shook his head. Who will understand that the lamb is like a blood of his blood, and with his own, individual mindset? What can one put against experience gained when the meadows were rich and the valley had a clean lake? How can you go against a system, oriented to create identical sheep and rams, which are easier to manage for a shepherd and his dog?