A story is told about a grandfather teaching his grandson about life:
“A fight is going on inside me,” the old man 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, 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, “Which wolf will win?”
The grandfather simply replied, “The one you feed.”
The moral of this story is that with the proper intention and attention, we all have the power to determine how we respond to our individual circumstances.
In reality, the choice isn’t always binary.
In fact, there is another version of this parable that ends instead with the following reply from the grandfather: “If you feed them right, they both win.”
By acknowledging both “wolves” and working through this inner conflict with self-awareness and self-compassion, you can choose the elements of each that serve you best in every situation.