I just recently heard about this legend of a conversation between an old Cherokee Indian and his grandson. The message is great but the delivery is outstanding.
I apologize if you have heard this one already but I figured this gem of a story is too good to let it slip by.
Here goes…
One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One is Evil – It is anger, envy, jealousy, greed, and arrogance. The other is Good – It is peace, love, hope, humility, compassion, and faith.”
The grandson thought about this for a while and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”
To which the old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
I admit, I love this kind of stuff. This idea of the inclinations you feed being a conscious choice is pretty realistic. It also makes complete sense that the more one works on a habit the easier it becomes. [If you were to stop eating fried food, each week that passes you would crave it less and less.]
But I also don’t think the idea above is to live exclusively within this “Good” sphere of life. It is a constant battle and I’m not sure how much quality of life there is without stumbling and letting ourselves be human. There is richness when we’re not perfect and not everything is reconciled.
There have been times when I’ve been a total smart ass to someone and realized that it wasn’t the most results oriented move. But, you know, whatever… I like to mix it up sometimes and not always try to reconcile some behaviors that may be contradictory.
But, all of this being said, I’m always interested in enjoying my life more. And this entails a non-linear but continuous journey to get more out of life.
The legend above struck a chord with me as much by the effectiveness of the communication than the message itself. Yes, the more we manage negative tendencies, the more enjoyable life becomes overall. But when you have a message communicated as well as this one, it makes the evolvement so much easier to pursue.
What’s your personal perspective on this story?
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This is a great post. I love how you talk about the artful balance of self development and the importance of being imperfect as well. I’m really glad you made this point so well.
I’ve heard this parable before but could never hear it enough times. I think, to your point, it does become easier habit to follow over time. I think it’s also about figuring out the difference between who you are and behaviors. A lot of us think negative habits are somehow tied into who we are.