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.