Feeding Wolves and Watering Seeds
There is a well-known parable, attributed to the Native American Cherokee Tribe. Titled The Story of the Two Wolves, it goes something like this:
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “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?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
The lesson of the parable is easily understood. Its real-life application? Not so easy. Our modern world appears to have an over-abundance of “food” with which to feed the first wolf, even in small, seemingly insignificant, ways. We may find ourselves driving aggressively, simply because others are doing so. Perhaps we ruminate obsessively over situations in the past over which we have no control. On a larger scale, the prevalence of deceit, mean-spiritedness, and outright lying at the highest levels of government has tended to normalize such behaviors, and common kindness and honesty are taking a beating.
In recent weeks (perhaps months), I’ve noticed that negativity often dominates my conversations with family and friends, and the phrase “let’s talk about something more positive” is frequently uttered. During the same period, I found myself occasionally waking up in the morning with something of a mental cloud hanging over me. I’m quite sure this periodic malaise is reflective of the pervasive negativity that appears to dominate our days.
But then, however, is when I can hear the Cherokee grandfather gently asking me, “Which wolf are you feeding?” Despite the prevalence of bad news, bad behavior, and overall bad feelings, we all have a choice as to how much badness we are willing to accept (and demonstrate). How deeply are we consenting to immerse ourselves in the quicksand of general awfulness?
There is a parallel metaphor to the story of the two wolves in the writings of Thich Nhat Hahn, the noted Buddhist monk, peace activist, and teacher. Known as the “father of mindfulness,” he was a major influence on Western practices of Buddhism. In his seminal work The Heart of Buddha’s Teaching, he notes that all people have a “store consciousness” of mental seeds, some good and some bad. He writes, “When we practice [mindfulness], our effort is to water positive seeds and let the negative seeds remain dormant.”
In my personal practice of meditation and mindfulness-based stress reduction, I am doing my best to feed the right wolf and water the proper seeds. By no means does this suggest I am ignoring the evil, injustice, and inhumanity that frequently appear so omnipresent. I accept their reality and their influence on our planet and its inhabitants. It’s a daily battle to be sure. I’m simply not willing to concede defeat.