Life
Indian Hill Journal
September 17, 2009
B3
When people turn into sheep For sheep to be sheep is admirable. That’s their true nature. Sheep are never extolled today or in the scriptures as being clever or courageous. They seem more helpless than resourceful. They frequently wander off and get lost and are easy prey for predators. When in trouble, they usually panic and bleat for help from the shepherd. Sheep are not very smart. Yet, who can blame a sheep for being a sheep? They live what they are. What would be troubling would be to see a bird or a human try to live as a sheep. Especially a human. We’ve been created with a rational nature. We are to grow, develop insight and wisdom, possess a mind that enables us to seek and recog-
nize truth and have the courage to live by it. Humans are supposed to need other human shepherds less and less as they mature. When immature, and still growing, we need parents, disciplinarians and teachers – guides outside ourselves. When we grow up – if we grow up – our guidance comes chiefly from within ourselves; a well-formed conscience and sense of responsibility. Guides outside of us never become completely unimportant, but much less necessary. A sad thing seems to be happening. Too many people seem to be acting as sheep. Sheeple are people who act like sheep. When that occurs, we don’t use our minds to study problems thor-
oughly and understand them effectively. We stop looking for truth. We graze on sound bites, slogans and little bits of information lying on the ground that taste good. When we are turning into sheeple, we lose sight of truth and priorities. We become easy prey for manipulation by politicians, advertisers, bureaucrats, and sometimes even by people we call religious leaders. Our shepherds are called spin doctors – false shepherds who have no interest in the common good, us, or the truth, only their own agenda. As sheeple we have a strong flock instinct. We need to think and act as everybody else. It’s said that the instincts and logic of a mob gradually become lower than the individuals that com-
prise the mob. We turn our minds over to others. Sheeple are dazzled by words and forget justice; are moved by emotions and forget logic. We believe peers, advertisers, politicians and celebrities about what is important in life. We acquiesce to anyone who claims to speak for God. The masses of people have been pictured as a huge pyramid. Most of us are depicted toward the bottom somewhere, and the numbers become fewer as the pyramid narrows and ascends. Psychologists such as Abraham Maslow urge us to become selfactualized and move upward. That means to grow in knowledge and personal awareness of our own state and truths of reality. The journey upward is very difficult, but possible. Great spiritual
teachers such as Father Lou Jesus Christ told Guntzelman us what happens Perspectives when we are transformed from sheeple to people, “ … you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Free from what? Free from a flock mentality. Free from not recognizing our dignity. Free from ignorance, deception and being used by others. Free from our defenses and illusions in order to become our truest self. Father Lou Guntzelman is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Reach him at columns@community press.com or contact him directly at P.O. Box 428541, Cincinnati, OH 45242. Please include a mailing address or fax number if you wish for him to respond.
Shipping and handling charges alert Ads for products on TV and in print that don’t disclose the shipping and handling charges are becoming increasingly common. Such charges should be carefully considered before ordering because sometimes they can be quite substantial. That’s what a Westwood woman has learned. Sue LaRue has been analyzing ads and found several that either don’t disclose the charge or do so in very small print. “I think they’re saying two things. I think they’re saying ‘free shipping’ or ‘plus shipping,’ but they’re
Howard Ain Hey Howard!
placed the order for two of the items, she just got a printout without the prices. “I agreed to pay $39.98. The shipping and handling was $65.80, but I didn’t know that till I got the package in the mail,” LaRue said. The packing slip showed the total cost came to more than $100 – something she says should have been disclosed upfront. She checked ads for products from different companies and found this is becoming more common. One ad touted the product as only costing $14.99, but the small print at the
not saying how much the shipping is. T h a t ’s what happened in my case,” she said. LaRue answered an ad she
saw on TV. “It said on TV it was $19.99 plus shipping. I went online and ordered it. No place did it say how much the shipping was,” she said. But, even after she
back,” LaRue said. So, I contacted the company LaRue had ordered from and was told they don’t disclose the shipping and handling charges in the ad because the same ad is used in Canada and charges will be quite different there. They maintain they do disclose the charges before the transaction is completed – and after the state sales taxes are added. But, LaRue said she never saw that disclosure. And, while you can cancel your order and get back your money, you can’t get back the shipping costs.
bottom said unless you cancel you’ll be charged three monthly payments of $39.99. After LaRue complained to the company about the shipping charges, a representative agreed to give her a $15 credit. But that still means the items she wanted cost her $40, and the shipping and handling cost $50 – more than the items themselves. “I just feel like they’re deceptive and if people aren’t paying attention they’re going to end up spending a lot of money they may not be able to get
Bottom line, carefully watch out for shipping and handling charges in both TV and print ads. If they are not disclosed in the ad, be sure to look for the charges before you place your order. As we’ve seen sometimes those charges can be more than the items themselves. Troubleshooter Howard Ain answers consumer complaints and questions weekdays at 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts on WKRC-TV Local 12. You can write to him at Hey Howard, 12 WKRC-TV, 1906 Highland Ave., Cincinnati 45219.
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