Two Wolves

Our language is awash in all sorts of expressions and stories, the origins of which are lost in time or obscurity. You've no doubt heard gazillions of probably-apocryphal stories that are "old Irish/Chinese/African/Indian sayings," or "found in an old church," or something similar.

Since my hands are still not quite thawed out from walking Nessa this morning (it's 16 big degrees outside my study window), I'm just going to minimize the typing and share with you this alleged "old Indian" story that I've heard in many forms over the years ... most recently from my friend Bob who is always good for blogging material. Regardless of its provenance, it's a good story with a useful message. It's the story of the two wolves ...

"One evening an old Indian told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, 'My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

'One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

'The other is Good - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.'"

"The boy thought about it for a minute and then asked the grandfather: 'Which wolf wins?'"

"His grandfather replied, 'The one you feed.'"

Have a good day. Stay warm and feed the right wolf.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo