A Cherokee grandfather spoke to his grandson: “A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil: He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good: He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
His grandfather replied, “The one you feed.”
This is a perfect analogy for the responsibility we all must take for our own personal development for our joy, happiness, and independence.
There is an equally important lesson that goes with this. In teaching future leaders about life, we can illustrate a parallel between our modern-day situation and the lesson the old Cherokee Chief taught. Today, we can say, “A fight is going on among our people. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolf packs. One is evil – full of anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good – full of joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on among all societies and nations.”
So, which wolf pack will win?
I say it is the one we feed. We decide which to feed by the way we take care of the poor, addicted, afflicted, outcast, and exiled. We decide which to feed by the way we pass and execute our laws, police our populations, and conduct our wars. We decide which to feed by the way we treat our families, friends, foes, customers, opponents, and adversaries. We decide which to feed by the way we care for our water, air, environment, flora and fauna.
No matter the cost, feed the wolf and the wolf pack which—despite the heat or ferocity of the battle, and despite the economic hardships—does the most good for the most people, for the most living things, for the longest period of time.
Loren M. Lambert © April 9, 2017. (But please share.)
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
His grandfather replied, “The one you feed.”
This is a perfect analogy for the responsibility we all must take for our own personal development for our joy, happiness, and independence.
There is an equally important lesson that goes with this. In teaching future leaders about life, we can illustrate a parallel between our modern-day situation and the lesson the old Cherokee Chief taught. Today, we can say, “A fight is going on among our people. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolf packs. One is evil – full of anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good – full of joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on among all societies and nations.”
So, which wolf pack will win?
I say it is the one we feed. We decide which to feed by the way we take care of the poor, addicted, afflicted, outcast, and exiled. We decide which to feed by the way we pass and execute our laws, police our populations, and conduct our wars. We decide which to feed by the way we treat our families, friends, foes, customers, opponents, and adversaries. We decide which to feed by the way we care for our water, air, environment, flora and fauna.
No matter the cost, feed the wolf and the wolf pack which—despite the heat or ferocity of the battle, and despite the economic hardships—does the most good for the most people, for the most living things, for the longest period of time.
Loren M. Lambert © April 9, 2017. (But please share.)
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