Two Wolves

I found this story from my dear aunt’s email. This originated from the real Americans, the Native American Indian. It struck me big time that I pondered about it.

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said,

“My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

“One is EVIL – It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

The other is GOOD – It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather : “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

What makes us humans different from savage beasts is that such a big part of us makes our emotions. The way we handle these emotions define what we are. We could never be too good nor be too bad. But just as the story suggests, the choice we make on which wolf to feed makes us or breaks us.

In an era of iPods, notebooks, Wii, PSPs, digital maps, etc., it’s not so difficult to gain superficial values that wane our character. We tend to follow the bandwagon that easily and forget the values we were once inculcated with. Hence we make choices that satisfy short term goals. We get swayed by what poses to be shortcuts to being good. We become more emotional and more attached to earthly things.

Last March, my daughter graduated as an OUTSTANDING STUDENT in her class wherein its members are all a year ahead of her. As an incentive she was asking me for a DS Lite, at the very least. I know she deserves it. But I thought of bargaining for something better. I remembered she mentioned before that she wanted to learn how to play the violin. To achieve that, I have been looking around for a good violin to give her as a present. I told her I can get her the DS Lite too. But by virtue of her age, it’s better to start learning young. The DS Lite can get better versions anytime. Though the violin will remain the way it looks like now as it had been long ago, it’s the character of the violinist that gets better in time.

I am not sure how she takes it. Her young mind may be too excited to understand such concepts. But I am still so excited to get her the violin. That is an investment not only for me but for her future as well. It may not bring her financial gains instantly. But the discipline and character that learning can bring will lead her to better heights that money just can’t buy.