on feeding the right wolf

i heard a moving story yesterday, that i attempt to paraphrase and share with you now. (to those who know this, i try to fill in the gaps so i can preserve the import, while changing the less important details that i don't quite recall.)

a grandfather explains to his grandson that within us, there is a constant struggle going on - as long as we are alive - between the good wolves and the bad wolves. the good wolves are the wolves of love, generosity, honesty, etc. and the bad wolves are the wolves of anger, greed, jealousy, etc. the boy asks his grandfather which pack of wolves eventually wins. the grandfather replies, "the one you feed."

i truly felt the impact of this story when i heard it. as i see it, personal growth is all about this - gradually refining ourselves - our thoughts, speech, and action - so as to overcome the hurdles as we proceed upwards. no matter how slow this progress is, and indeed it may be life-long, we must accept that as our responsibility through life, just as we accept brushing our teeth or eating our meals to be another.

it's also interesting to note, i find, that i've heard this story before, from my ex-advisor (though then it was about the good dog and bad dog within). this was a long, long time ago and things were different then. i heard the story, and it sat there. it was in memory, but it hadn't sunk to deeper levels. is it not fascinating how words do their transitioning from words to knowledge? and how they take their time?

anyway, for now i pray that we all learn to focus on feeding the right pack of wolves.