I came across this Native American parable yesterday–not once, but twice! Coincidence? Perhaps. Or maybe the universe is offering me another lesson.
An old Ojibwe* is teaching his grandson about life.
He tells the boy, "A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible battle between two wolves. One is evil — he is anger, envy, regret, greed, false-humility, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, lies, pride, and ego. The other is good — he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you, my son…and inside every other person."
The boy reflects quietly for a moment. Then he asks, "Which wolf wins?"
The old Ojibwe answers, "The one you feed."
*Most online sources atrribute this story to the Ojibwe, but some cite the Cherokee or the Chippewa. I regret that I’m unable to trace it back to the original storyteller, but I honor his/her timeless wisdom.
I am groaning because this is not only very timely, but reminds me that many of my crises are of my own making. Thanks for sharing 🙂
You’re welcome! 🙂
Whether perceived or real, our “crises” can provide us with some awesome learning opportunities. I’m thinking about that today…
That is terrific.
Isn’t it, though? It’s a great reminder that order and chaos coexist in the cosmos…and that we can choose where to point our telescopes.
Great Analogy In Any Language
Thank you for sharing.
I have two dear friends who are Ojibwe, and they tell me that Chippewa and Ojibwe are the same, it’s just a regional distinction made by white men. Chippewa are ‘Southern’ or US, but as the Ojibwe people do not recognize the boundary between the US and Canada, they consider themselves all to be Ojibwe.
Regardless of who said it, and where they are in relation to borders, it is a profound thought.
Emjae
inknbeans.weebly.com
Re: Great Analogy In Any Language
Regardless of our orientations/places of origins, we are all teachers and learners… Thank you for sharing some of the lessons you’ve learned from your Ojibwe friends.
Ooh. I love this. I think I’ll copy it into my commonplace book. Thank you for sharing it!
Your “commonplace book”? Please explain…it sounds intriguing!
P.S. I love your new icon!
I’ve had this gerbera daisy around for a while – I don’t use it often, but I love it. Love that kitten, too – so excellent!
A commonplace book is a book into which one writes down quotes and poems and the like that are meaningful in some way (could be funny, thoughtful, whatever). They were exceedingly common back in the 18th and 19th century. I used to keep one as a teen, and was reminded of it by a post over at Sara Lewis Holmes’s earlier this year. I ordered myself a special blank book and have been copying things into it ever since!
Very cool! I think I’ll start a commonplace book of my own.
Boy, isn’t that the truth?? I need to share this with D today…he had a rough morning.
“Boy, isn’t that the truth??”
*nods*
Hope D enjoys reading it as much as I did.
Wow. Thank you. This gave me tingles…and tears. Powerful stuff.
Glad you also found it meaningful.
A great lesson to be learned if we are willing to listen to our inner voice.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Yes, listening to our inner voices is an important lesson. Interesting that the reminder came to me via a couple of spammish emails. 🙂
Oh, man, that is SPOOKY accurate. Thanks for sharing–I cut and pasted this one into my “Reflect” file.
It’s awesome, isn’t it?
Your “Reflect” file sounds a bit like Kelly’s Commonplace Book (above). Very cool to have a notebook or whatnot, in which to store these wonderful parables. 🙂
Wow, this comes at a very emotional time for me. Thank you for sharing. It is so accurate!
You’re so very welcome, Sara! I was grateful to the friends who forwarded the story to me via email, and I’m glad you enjoyed it, too.
This made me cry just a little bit.
Very beautiful and true.
I’m glad it touched a special place in your heart. I cried a little bit, too.
I love love love love love this!
Now you must go read KNOTS ON A COUNTING ROPE by Bill Martin. . .and the strength of blue horses.
I’ve not heard of that book before, so thanks for the recommendation. (I’m curious to see how it relates to the wolf parable. Wanna give me a hint?)
This is the second blog post I read today that simply left me breathless.
Need an oxygen mask?
🙂
xo
I have SO been feeding the wrong wolf this week…thanks for posting this. It was a great reminder of how *I* am in control of how I feel and act. 🙂
Snatch that food bowl away! 🙂
(I love when a parable speaks to me personally. Isn’t it shivery magic when that happens?)
Thanks for stopping by to read it. 🙂
It was no coincidence, Melodye!! Now you know why I love the words and beliefs of the Native Americans so much.
We all desperately need to take a lesson from them, if we are ever going to live the way the Great Mystery intended and save this planet. The oil spill in the Gulf makes me sick.
“With all things and in all things, we are relatives. ”
~ Sioux Proverb