The Two Wolves Within – Embracing Wisdom from the Ages
I just spent the past three weeks traveling to the cradle of civilization and experiencing 6,000 years of human history. It was a mind-expanding and conscious-empowering feeling - captivating yet also profoundly transformational.
Spending time with people who still remember and follow lessons from times past, reminded me of a story from close to home. One that has reshaped my perspective. It is a lesson from a Cherokee Indian grandfather to his young grandson, and speaks of an internal battle that rages within us all.
He said, “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ that live inside us all.?
One is Evil. It represents anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.?
The other is Good. It embodies joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”
The grandson thought about it for a while and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?”?
The grandfather's response, simple yet profound, was: "The one you feed."
It’s a choice we all can make. This story reminded me that I have the power to shape my own perspective. Each day, I have a choice – to nurture the negative wolf and succumb to its destructive influence or to feed the wolf of positivity and follow a path of growth and contentment.
As I reflected on this moment of insight, it became blindingly obvious, that true happiness doesn’t result from external and material influences but from within our own selves.
I now pay attention to the battle that rages within me and try really hard to feed the “good wolf.” It is not easy. It requires strength, determination, and commitment. I've made a deliberate effort to appreciate the small joys and extending kindness to all. This consciousness has brought a sense of calmness... not just for me but for all the folks around me!
I'm glad for the wisdom shared across time. Thanks, Grandpa!
Knowledge is not Power. Power is Knowledge Shared
11 个月If there was ever an evil wolf inside Zain Raj it has been starved to death.
Zain Raj - thank you SO much for posting this. I can’t tell you how much it struck a nerve. So simple - it’s a choice we make every day - yet profound. “Feed the good wolf.”
GenAI ML Research Manager at Shapiro+Raj
1 年Your story makes me think of the following truism - our actions are an expression of what is inside, rather than a means to change what is within. We only need ourselves to obtain a different sense of our own being. However much behaviors seem insignificant, superficial, neutral, objective, or impersonal, they are always self-expressions and that motivation carries through to the ultimate impact or telos of the behavior as an action, whether are not we can see in that moment.