Human Nature

In response to "The Last of the Flock" by William Wordsworth...

In the poem when the shepherd says, "God cursed me in my sore distress" (line 86), I think sums up a main message we should take away from the story.
When all is going well in our lives, we could not feel any better, we feel like we are in God's good graces.
However, when things take a downward spin we could not be more angrier at everything and everyone.
I think the shepherd is a classic example of this part of human nature. I know there have been times in my life, when things are not so great, and I feel like am cursed. And other times, when things play out nicely for me, I could not feel more blessed. I think it is in our human nature to very easily put the blame for our misfortune on outside forces.
For example, the shepherd informs us that it was "a time of need".
We are left to interpret this in a few different ways based on other information we receive in the story.
I think that the shepherd has blinded himself from seeing where he played a part in his current misfortune. Throughout the years he tells of how his flock grew and grew. He was rich with sheep. Many would assume that if you are a shepherd, rich with a healthy, growing flock, then business would be booming. But all he tells about is how eventually he had to start to sell his flock one by one because he could not receive parish relief. The trouble is, if he is a shepherd, and a flock of sheep is a major resource, wouldn't selling some sheep be inevitable?
However, the manner in which the shepherd describes his sadness with selling the sheep gives the impression that his only intention was to continue growing the flock, with out ever making any sacrifice. This shows his greed, something else that can be a part of human nature.
The shepherd allowed his human nature to blind him from seeing other things that were important. Although he says he sold the flock to
provide for his family it seems as if it was done out of obligation rather than a desire to support his children.
He even comes to love his children less. To him his children are a flock that he is obligated to.
The shepherd's nature is one that is rather odd and dark. He is very honest about how he feels. He tells a complete stranger about his true feelings of having to sell his flock to help his family survive. For him, not even supporting his family a little longer brings him joy, "and now I care not if we die, And perish all of poverty" (line 39-40). To him the recent times have been a failure. Sure he kept his ten children fed and alive, but he sacrificed his flock.
It is sort of unsettling to learn the shepherd's true feelings. However, he is only giving in to his human nature. He is being honest about his feelings. It is always more interesting when someone is blunt about how they feel because it is a form of honesty, that depending on the issue, can be unsettling and yet truly revealing.