The One You Feed

An old Cherokee was 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 full of anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is full of 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.”

In these times of increasing division and uncertainty, we are not powerless. Each and every one of us makes a difference by being conscious of where we put our attention and in the actions we take. A few simple, uncomplicated, choices will make a big difference to how we feel and these add up over time.

Simple isn’t always easy. It requires new discipline to disengage from fanning the flames of anxiety and fear that surround us in the media and in the environment around us. What we watch, read, listen to – what we write, speak, share, “like”, follow, even our own self-talk, which wolf are you feeding?

Remember the universal truth; what we put our attention on, we get more of. Which wolf will win? The one you feed.