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."
Here is the same story known as "The Wolves Within"
An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice, "Let me tell you a story.
I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do.
But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times." He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me. One is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him, and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.
But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger,for his anger will change nothing.
Sometimes, it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."
The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"
The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, "The one I feed."
Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States (principally Georgia, the Carolinas and Eastern Tennessee). Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian-language family.
"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."
Here is the same story known as "The Wolves Within"
An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice, "Let me tell you a story.
I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do.
But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times." He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me. One is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him, and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.
But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger,for his anger will change nothing.
Sometimes, it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."
The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"
The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, "The one I feed."
Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States (principally Georgia, the Carolinas and Eastern Tennessee). Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian-language family.
A Cherokee Legend
When it seems that your walk in life is out of step along the way..that you may beat to a different drummer that is playing on that day...Rejoice! that you are different, be glad that you really care..to be a unique person when there is so much pain and fear...prejudice, pettiness, and corruption..is the way of the World it seems..but at night when I go to sleep...it's a place of peace and unity which fills my dreams..so smile at your neighbor...if his skin color is different than yours...always wish for others good will...so you don't have to even any scores...just be kind and loving knowing your equal and not better than the rest..walk a mile in another's shoes ...have compassion be your best...put aside crippling pride and anger and reach out to extend your hand...to the sensitive soul that I am..for humanity across the Land <3
What a magnificent message !If only it could be heard by the world!
What a great story. Of course, it means more than just words on paper (Or a screen).
Really beautiful stories ..I love them...
I love the story but i am having a dream of two wolves fighting but one is a male and the other one is a female.And
Maybe you'll find this interesting.
The black one was always male. I can't seem to say he died. Scattered dust.
This fight within, exists all the time within all of us. I find that in todays, shallow, materialistic, greedy, egotistical society that humankind is, the wolf described evil is our world in general, manipulated by govts, corporates, modern religion, media, education institutions, banking houses, lawmakers........I would like to think , although I live within this system of evil, I am not a part of it.......being aware of this difference of wolves, sees me a Free spirit, a truly Free spirit ! hence the name I use on social media. The Wolf is a symbol of Freedom too , so I "would rather be a Wolf for one day than a sheep my whole life". I endeavour to feed the good Wolf...........so should everyone !! - Paul FreeWolf Davies (Facebook)
Is it possible to purchase a pendant like the one shown above? The one depicting a black and white wolf in a yin/yang position?
This is a great theme. Do you know if the story is available in verse form?
I'd love to put a version of this on my website. Would you have any objection to that?
... and I, too, would be interested in a pendant such as White Ghost seeks :)
My friend is half Cherokee and he told me this story, I understood what he was telling me, because I was going through a battle of good and bad in my spirit.
Enjoyed.
What a beautiful legend. It is unfortunate that the 2 legged black wolves that walk amongst us will never get the lesson to be learned.
#same right here
I love ready stuff like this it helps me to learn more about the wolves and it reminds me of what i learned by an old Cherokee woman
We created a podcast based on this topic, The One You Feed
If you’d like to hear it go to http://oneyoufeed.net
The Two Wolves legend is being talked about every where I look. This is a wonderful true story that Humanity need to understand. Ty for sharing.
I live in North Carolina and I seen a white wolf while I was in my yard at night... what does it mean when they manifest themselves to you?