The one you feed

I have almost always been fascinated with the culture and spirituality of North American First People. The wisdom based in nature and expressed in metaphor often surpasses what the world's great philosophers and thinkers have been able to articulate using thousands more words. This one showed up as one of those wall-hanging sorts of illustrations on Facebook. I looked a little deeper and found a bit more about it. It is believed to be a Cherokee legend but no single person has received credit. It has been told under several titles including: "Two wolves," "Grandfather tells" and "The wolves within."

This is the story:

An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice, "Let me tell you a story.

"I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do.

"But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times." He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me. One is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him, and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.

"But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing.

"Sometimes, it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."

The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"

The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, "The one I feed."

Found on the website "First People -- The Legends"