An old grandfather was sitting around the fire when his grandson approached him. The grandson was filled with anger as his friend had just done him an injustice. The child’s grandfather looked at him with tired, knowing eyes and said, “Let me tell you a story. I too, at times have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times
He continues with, “It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way. He is joy, happiness, hope, kindness, truth, compassion and faith. But in the other wolf, he is full of anger. He is evil, envy, regret, greed, superiority and ego. The littlest thing will send him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for anger will change nothing.
Sometimes it is hard to live with these wolves inside me, for both of them to try to dominate my spirit.”
His grandson looked him in the eyes and asked him, “Which one wins, Grandfather?”
His Grandfather smiles at him and quietly says, “The one I feed”.
I stumbled on this Cherokee Legend a few months back and since then it has been something that I carry with me every day. I ask myself this question every morning, “Which wolf will I feed today?” It reminds me that I have the power to react to a situation in either a good way, or a bad one. The two wolves that are constantly fighting inside will clash with each other until one of them wins. The thing is that the more you “feed” the good wolf, the easier it is to do good deeds, they become second-hand nature or vice versa. If you keep doing bad things, encasing your life around awful people and circumstances then that is what you will become. The two wolves will always be battling for the alpha role, and as one becomes the leader, the other sits back and will patiently watch for the best moment to strike. Sometimes evil will win, but good is always right there behind it, nipping at its heels ready to fight to make you a better person and this world a better place.
So my question to you is this, What wolf did you used to feed and what wolf will you start feeding today?
This is an Old Cherokee Tale that is known by many names but can be found at http://bit.ly/1
