The Battle Within

The story goes…

A grandfather was sitting by the fire with his two young grandsons, teaching them about the difference between good and evil. Grandfather tells the children, “There is a good wolf and a bad wolf living inside each of us. The good wolf is love, compassion, courage, generosity, fortitude, discipline, laughter and every worthy virtue a human being is capable of. The bad wolf is anger, hatred, laziness, jealousy, envy, greed, sloth and other vices a human being is capable of. In each and every one of us, these two wolves are engaged in a fierce battle.”

One of the grandsons asked, “Grandfather, which wolf will win?”

Grandfather answered, “The one you feed.”

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Many questions in philosophy, and especially ethics, are not things that can be easily discussed or understood directly. Attempts to do so have plagued (and divided) philosophers, and bored pretty much everyone else senseless... for centuries. It is as if we cannot see or perceive them when looking directly at them. There it is again, a shadow floating about in my peripheral vision, but as soon as I look directly at it, it is gone. The evasive, cloud-like nature of such matters has led some wonder whether there is anything real there at all. 

For these and other reasons, in common use we frequently employ stories, analogies and metaphors (or parables), to discuss complex or profound things. The best of such stories carry multiple layers of meaning, making them relevant to the wise and experienced as well as children (and everyone in between). Such approaches don't actually prove things to be true, but it is through understanding the story that we can understand that to which it is related.

This story of the wolves captures the essence of the virtue-ethics moral tradition going back over 2000 years (and still "alive and kicking" today). The idea is that we become like that upon which we meditate, what we practice. If we meditate upon and (physically or mentally) practice evil things, we become (more) bent, evil. If we meditate upon and practice good things, we become good, virtuous. It is through our thoughts -- what we watch and listen to, what we meditate upon, what we say and do -- that we feed the wolves.

When I recognize how my actions are feeding the evil wolf, and I sense it growing stronger within me, it is hard to stop. That wolf is very hungry, powerful, cunning, and doesn't give up easily. Whenever it seems he is gone, it turns out he was just hiding.

Which wolf are you feeding? Which one feels stronger within you?