There is an old, wise and powerful story you may have heard. It is difficult to trace back the origins of the story, but it goes like this:
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.
“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. "It's a terrible fight, and it's 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, “They both win if I feed them right.”
“You see, if I starve one wolf, the other will become imbalanced with power. If I choose to feed only the light wolf, for example, the shadow one will become ravenous and resentful. He will hide around every corner and wait for my defenses to lower, then attack. He will be filled with hatred and jealousy and will fight the light wolf endlessly.“
“But if I feed both, in the right way, at the right time, they will live side-by-side in harmony. There will be no more inner battle. Instead, there will be inner peace. And when there is peace, there is wisdom. The goal of life, my son, is to respect this balance of life, for when you live in balance, you can serve the Great Spirit within. When you put an end to the battle inside, you are free.“
The narrative of the two wolves highlights the “internal fight” within us… the internal battle between good and bad, positive and negative.
How do we handle these two seemingly opposing wolves within us?
The answer is to embrace BOTH!
Why?
Because both wolves will always be there. We all have both light and dark inside of us. Whether the battle is between anger and kindness or envy and empathy, it is important to recognise and acknowledge our conflicting – sometimes disturbing – feelings and emotions.
If we try to ignore, deny or suppress these difficult thoughts and emotions, we are actually making them stronger. This, of course, can negatively affect our health and wellbeing.
When we acknowledge and accept both wolves, we feel more balanced and better equipped to navigate life’s challenges.
Are YOU aware of the two opposing wolves fighting within you?
Eila Mikkonen
Counsellor, Coach & Mental Fitness Facilitator