Good Wolf, Bad Wolf

A Native American story tells of a grandfather mentoring his 10 year-old grandson. They went for a short camping trip, and talked as they walked through the forest. This was part of the traditional training in becoming a man. 

One evening as they sat by the campfire, the grandfather said, “Grandson, I am going to tell you something very important for you to know as you grow into manhood. Inside the heart and mind of every boy and man, and every girl and woman, lie two differenr spirits. We call them wolf spirits.”

The boy’s eyes widened.

“Yes, grandson. It’s amazing, isn’t it? And these two wolf spirits really are very different from one another. One is bad, while the other one is good. And these two spirits do not get along at all. In fact they are always fighting each other.”

The boy said, “Grandfather, is that happening in my heart and mind, too?”

“Yes, and inside me and your mother and father and all the people you know. Inside all people this fight is going on. The two wolf spirits are always fighting each other. And everything we say, think and do feeds one or the other of them in their separate ways. So, if you think bad thoughts, say bad words, or do bad things, you are feeding the bad wolf, which wants only for himself. If you think, say and do good things, you are feeding the good wolf, which loves the world given to us by the Great Spirit and which wants the good of all people and all living things.”

The boy said, “Wow! Which wolf wins?”

“The wolf who wins … is the wolf that you feed.”

Everyone who is able to think clearly can choose how to respond to any given situation. Some may say that their angry, sad or fearful responses are like a knee-jerk reaction, and they can’t control them. That may be true for t he moment, but what they do not know is that they can learn to use their minds differently, so that instead of feeding the bad wolf, they feed the good wolf. To add to the problem, some people do not even believe such a thing is possible. Rather, they choose to believe, “this is how i am. I can’t change.” 

Anyone can be tempted to act, think or speak negatively. So, we must all be mindful of that, and not assume we could never hurt anyone. if you are noticing a tendency to feed the bad wolf, and in addition that you are less happy than you’d like to be, this might be worth addressing. You have options: books, podcasts, videos, coaching, spiritual mentoring and the help of a professional. If this speaks to your situation, and you are curious about improving the quality of your life, please feel free to reach out. I’ll be glad to give you a short no-cost consultation. The phone number is 219-309-3928. It would be an honor to be of help.

For more thoughts click Conflict # 20 – The Internal Struggle

Thanks for reading!