For many reasons, I’ve been thinking a lot about values lately. More and more, it feels like my personal values are in conflict with characteristics society looks up to.
I suppose I’ve been thinking about this because the world keeps putting reminders in front of me.
It started earlier this month during a weekend retreat. My reflections after returning home prompted me to write a post on my personal blog about undervalued gifts in our world today.
Then, at church last Sunday, our pastor told us the story of the two wolves. It’s a Cherokee legend about a grandfather who tells his grandson about a struggle between two wolves that goes on inside all of us.
The Story of the Two Wolves
The first wolf is evil, representing anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
On the other hand, the second wolf is good, representing joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
When the grandson asks which wolf will win, his grandfather responds, “The one you feed.”
It Feels Like the Evil Wolf is Winning
Sadly, in the world today, there are so many examples of the evil wolf winning the battle over good. Cynicism, negativity and hatred are everywhere.
Greed, superiority and ego—three of the evil wolf’s characteristics—are seen as signs of strength and leadership in our capitalistic society. And envy fuels so much of our personal and professional discontent.
Interestingly, some of the good wolf’s characteristics—benevolence, generosity, kindness, compassion—align with the undervalued gifts I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. These gifts seem to be in short supply, but a little more of all those things would definitely make the world a better place.
Which Wolf Are You Feeding?
Feeling like our personal values are in conflict with the world creates an inner turmoil—not unlike the battle between the two wolves.
The moral of the story is that we have a choice to make on how we approach every day. It’s a worthwhile exercise for each of us to reflect on our own personal values. Then, we can ask ourselves if we’re feeding the right wolf with our thoughts and actions.
Because the legend is right—the wolf we feed will win.
What are your thoughts on the battle between the two wolves? Tell us about it below.
Learn more about me in my bio and on my personal blog at BoomerEcoCrusader.com. You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
“Such an important point you bring up! The world can definitely feel overwhelming when negativity and greed seem to dominate the headlines. Your post is a great reminder to focus on nurturing the qualities that truly matter
Thank you so much. After I wrote this post yesterday, I came across a great quote in my daily devotional. It said, “Something good is always growing in the garden of gratitude.” Isn’t that wonderful! An important reminder to focus on the positive.
I wish you a terrific week ahead. Thanks for reading and commenting.
The Story of the Two Wolves is quite a powerful one. Sadly, I think the wolf of negativity is louder and gets on the news more often. I counter that by being grateful for my family and friends (in the flesh and on WordPress) for those who listen to the wolf of positivity. 🌞
You’re right, Dave! Why do we give so much press to all the noise and negativity? I agree that we need to be very careful who we follow and listen to. Thanks for reading!
It’s interesting because in the animal kingdom generally, the more secure, content, powerful and respected animals do the least fighting and throwing their weight about because they don’t need to. Not much is different amongst humans much of the time. The negative, greedy, egotistical, violent and unpleasantness goes on amongst those of us that feel it’s what we have to do to win over everyone else and gain respect.
You can hold a certain level of fear over others doing that of course but the real respect tends to be afforded to the quieter, calmer and more stable ones who are very often pulling strings, calling the shots and planning everything quietly away behind the scenes anyway. The little scrotes shouting and bawling the odds just think it was their idea 😂
It’s fear and the sense it’s easier to feed and appease the bad wolf who is pushy and bold and seems threatening but he only does that because he relies on it working. It takes so much energy too. Push comes to shove and if he’s not fed at all, the good wolf is likely to end the day on a full stomach and with little to no effort.
It just needs us to recognise and persist in ignoring and refusing to feed the bad wolf until he calms down and behaves like a good one.
Thanks so much for such an insightful comment. “The little scrotes shouting and bawling the odds just think it was their idea” – Isn’t that the truth? I see that in the workplace all the time time.
Ah, I’d heard the story before but not with the detail of the characteristics that the wolves embody. So good, Michelle. May we all keep feeding the wolf of joy and peace!
Thanks Wynne. The story is an important reminder to be aware of our mindset.