Once there was an elder from the Cherokee Nation (from the North American Indian tribe). He was teaching his grandchildren about life. That’s when he narrated ‘a tale of two wolves’.
He told them – there is a fight that goes on inside all of us. It’s a wicked fight that takes place between the two wolves.
One wolf is evil – he is anger, envy, arrogance, resentment, inferiority, sorrow, pity, false pride, regret, superiority, lies, greed, guilt, and ego.
The other wolf is good – he is joy, serenity, love, gratitude, empathy, peace, hope, kindness, relationships, humility, truth, generosity, compassion, and faith.
After hearing this, one of the grandsons thinks for a minute and asks his grandfather, which wolf will win? The elder replied promptly- “The one you give your attention to.”
There are numerous stories that have very simple storylines, yet they leave a very profound message. A tale of two wolves is one of them. Let’s elaborate on the message this story has to give away.
A Tale of Two Wolves – Conflict of the internal forces in us
SUMMARY
Everyday, we constantly battle with negative and positive feelings, emotions and experiences in our lives. We try our best to be a good human being, but the darker wolf always takes charge of us. Why is it so? Let’s look into how this mechanism works in us so effortlessly.
The two wolves that are inside us fight each other for power and authority. Most of our lives we have been listening and feeding the darker wolf, the one that we don’t want.
Therefore, it becomes more powerful, aggressive and strong because it has been fed well for all your life.
Why do we do that? Because it’s very easy to give away our power by reacting to external events, people, situations in unpleasant ways. Putting the blame on others or other extraneous factors requires no effort from our side. This is why many fall for this trick.
Obviously, this approach doesn’t require one to be accountable for their own actions, as a result, it takes away our power and responsibility.
In this way, through our evil ways, we justify our own thoughts and actions. We keep convincing ourselves of the false sense of control we seem to have over our lives. But nothing is further from the truth- we end up fooling our own selves in this manner.
The battle between two wolves for supremacy
So, a tale of two wolves talks about this fight that happens between the two forces in us. Obviously, the one that is stronger defeats the weaker one.
On the other hand, the other wolf, which is the good one has not been fed and listened to. Hence, it is weak, humble and feeble.
This is what has been happening all through our lives. We don’t even realize how deep this devil is in our skin until we’ve had enough of it.
NOTE
This wolf not only lashes out its wickedness onto others but also initiates negative internal self-talk. This makes us feel miserable and limits us with all kinds of fears.
Reclaim your power
The remedy for this unconscious habit is to choose the one that gives you back your power. The good news is that you always have a choice!
Do you want to take charge of your life and wish to bring the goodness in you to the front? Then you need to be mindful of your patterns and break this deep-rooted habit of nourishing the evil wolf.
TIP
Cut the chords to the negative thoughts, feelings, and emotions that disempower you. This is possible by not giving the food of your attention to them until they lose their hold over you. You can thus channel all your energy and attention available to those thoughts, feelings, and emotions that empower you.
Of course, this doesn’t happen overnight. One really needs to have patience and perseverance to persist in this process.
Having said that, it doesn’t mean that we hurt or kill the evil wolf. If we take this approach, this wolf will become more powerful due to our fear and hostility. This will then become a never-ending battle.
We can rather simply choose to pay attention to the angry wolf calmly and not believe in any story it is telling about us. This way, it will no longer serve as our enemy and in time, won’t come our way. This will free us from a lot of negativity, and we can thus follow the guidance from our happy self peacefully.
A Tale of Two Wolves Video
A Tale of Two Wolves Tattoo
Closing thoughts
We hope a tale of two wolves helps you decide which wolf you want to feed in your life- the good or evil- the choice is yours!
I’m sure none of us would want to be at the mercy of our old habits, patterns, etc. Just a little bit of practice will unravel a companion in us that can show us the right way. It will be a constant guide to us through all kinds of life experiences- be it pleasant or unpleasant.
