Feed the Good Wolf

There is an old Cherokee legend known as the story of the two wolves. In this story, loosely paraphrased, an old grandfather conveys to his grandson that there are two wolves within him who contend for control of his life. One is noble and good, while the other is dark and evil. When the grandson asks which one will win the grandfather replies, “the one I feed.” There is great wisdom in this simple story, and you can Google it if you would like to read a longer version. I am certainly not the first person to write on the subject. However, it has come up of late and the below poem grew out of those recent discussions.

The issue at hand is the internal conflict between right and wrong, good and evil. The devotional “Jesus Calling” phrased it as follows: “There is a mighty battle going on for control of your mind. Heaven and earth intersect in your mind, and the tugs of both spheres influence your thinking.” Each of us views this struggle based upon our own world view. Some people are content with believing that we just do the best we can based upon our upbringing. Others like the image of the little angels and demons sitting on each shoulder, whispering in our ears. Some will concede to the struggle between God and Satan. A few folks are satisfied with the Jiminy Cricket personification of the human conscience. I’m personally in the God and Satan camp, with perhaps some angels and demons thrown in. However, little red devils with horns and pitch forks are merely an image contrived in Dante’s “Inferno,” so try not to get hung up on the visual. Either way, the two wolves concept pretty much covers this issue. The point is that there seems to be struggle between various influencers in our hearts and minds. Sometimes it’s a conscious struggle and at other times unconscious, but it’s definitely occurring.

Which wolf do you feed? And is it the wolf you are willing to become? That, after all, is what life is all about … becoming. At any given time we are headed in a given direction based upon our choices. The question we must ask ourselves is where are those choices leading us? To humanize the wolf-feeding metaphor consider this quote from fitness icon Jack LaLane: “Every day, and at every meal, we choose our weight.” I won’t dwell on the context of that quote because it stings a little, but its astuteness points to a profound wisdom. The culmination of our daily choices defines our future. While pondering this subject a while ago I cobbled together four words that sum it up for me: Daily Decisions Determine Destiny. And to make them easier to remember I use the term D-4. That is what our daily struggle is all about. Whether you call it the two wolves, a spiritual warfare, or the battle between good and evil, it happens every day right within our own hearts and minds.

And that battle rarely takes the shape of one life-altering decision. For most of us it takes place in a myriad of seemingly harmless choices that happen from moment to moment throughout our days. The battle isn’t a giant sequoia that comes crashing down upon us. In fact, it’s more like a tiny trickle of water that slowly erodes our character. So it would be wrong to think of life in terms of “a” decisive moment. Rather, life is an endless series of decisive moments. And what do those moments decide? In the end they determine who we are, what our life stands for, what our legacy is, and how we will be remembered.

In conclusion I return to the simplicity of the old Cherokee story. Where do all of our choices lead? Who will we become? Which wolf wins? The one we feed. We become the choices we make ... so by sure to feed the good wolf.

The Two Wolves
There are two wolves within me
One is noble, wise and kind
He always guides me towards the good
In body, heart and mind
This wolf seeks the path of honor
And desires the best for me
He respects my fellow man
And understands eternity
Alas, there is another wolf
Who also dwells within
An evil, dark and selfish wolf
Who tempts me unto sin
This second wolf is vicious
He destroys and he devours
He reminds me of my failures
And taunts me in my darkest hours
The evil wolf is cunning
Full of anger, wrath and pride
Striving ever with the better wolf
With whom he dwells inside
And which will be victorious?
It remains yet to be seen
The noble wolf is powerful
But the evil wolf is mean
The choice is really up to me
Which wolf wins and which concedes
For, in the end, the wolf who reigns
Is the one I choose to feed
               By Frank Carpenter ©