"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. The only person hate hurts, is you. It is like taking poison and wishing for your enemy to 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."
I love this story! It is a constant (and sometimes much needed) reminder to clear my heart of all anger, and to refuse to let the poisons take control of my life. It reminds me that I DO have a choice as to how I react to what is going on around me. We can't always control what happens in our lives, but we can control how we react to it. How we react is always a choice!!
"Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but how we react to what happens, not by what life brings us but the attitude we bring to life."
~Wade Boggs~
Which wolf have you fed today?
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