Feed The Wolf

Our dog, Bailey, eats the way our previous Golden Retriever, Sherlock used to eat:  a lot in a little amount of time.  Not only does Bailey eat from the bowl, but she will place her food neatly on the carpet near her bowl and eat it one small piece at a time.  At other times, Bailey decides to dine out.  She’ll take pieces of food to a different room, appropriately our dining room, and eat it there.  Odd and funny and a bit bewildering.

For many years now, I’ve fallen in love with the Navajo people.  I enjoy their rich history.  I enjoy the stark beauty of the American Southwest, specifically the Navajo Indian Reservation in Northeastern Arizona.  I even have a few books on their fables and stories, their lore, their customs, and their traditions.  In my favorite room in our house, I have the walls dappled with Navajo art and artifacts.

The Navajo people have a saying: “Coyote is always out there waiting, and coyote is always hungry.”

           

I don’t know to whom it is attributed other than that it is a traditional Navajo proverb.

In one of the books I wrote, one of my characters questions whether or not he is evil.  A heady concept and question, despite the fact that the boy’s age is only fourteen.  Without going into a lot of detail, the question is warranted.  The answer comes from George, a Navajo boy who is also fourteen, and who was raised very traditionally in the Navajo way of life.

After Brett’s question, there is a long pause before George speaks.  Finally, George said, “My grandfather told me that in all of us, there are two wolves.  One is good and one is evil.  We make a choice each day to feed one wolf or the other.  The one we feed the most determines whether or not we are good or evil.”

“We make a choice each day to feed one wolf or the other.  The one we feed the most determines whether or not we are good or evil.”

While the book I draw this conversation from is a work of fiction, my second book in a trilogy, I believe the words George speaks are real.  They ring true to me.

I sincerely believe there are two wolves in each of us. 

In Each Of Us. 

Drawing from yet another story, another allegory, we might call one wolf Cain and the other wolf Abel.

I also honestly believe that we make a conscious choice to feed one wolf or feed the other, one being good, and one being evil.  We make this choice by our words, our actions.  Sometimes we make this choice by our absence of words, by our inactions.  Sometimes, the thoughts we have make the choice for us. 

However we choose, whatever choice we make, we Feed The Wolf. 

We Feed The Wolf in our day to day interactions with people . . . even with ourselves.  We make choices to act or not act.  We make choices in the words we say or write, and in the words we refrain from speaking or writing.  We make choices in our reactions to the words and actions of others. 

In any case, we make a daily . . . sometimes minute by minute . . . choice to Feed One Wolf or Feed The Other.  Which will you decide to feed?  The choice is up to you each and every time.  As Yoda would say, “Choose wisely!”  Something to think about . . .

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!