Two Wolves
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.
"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.
"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed,
arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority,
lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued,
"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope,
serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy,
generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight
is going on inside you - and inside every other person,
too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then
asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
The Wolves Within
An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to
him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice,
"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 continued, "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.
But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest
thing will set 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 his
anger will change nothing.
Sometimes, it is hard to live with these two wolves inside
me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."
The boy looked intently into his Grandfather’s eyes and
asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"
The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, "The one I feed."
Leave Comment