The Two Wolves Inside You - And Feeding Instructions
There is a battle going on inside of you. It hurts sometimes, whether you know that or not. It’s uncomfortable for your body. There are two wolves going at it in your stomach, a black one and a white one. They’ve been fighting your entire life, and one will win the day you die. The black wolf represents all things bad: anger, hostility, jealousy, greed, ego, and lies. The white one is all things good: peace, love, happiness, humility, truth, and generosity. Your body is extremely permeable. You take in so much on a daily basis. What a lot of people don’t realize is that what does enter your body, is in your complete control. Whatever things you take in that are negative, go completely to feeding the black wolf. The same goes for the flip side; inhaling positive stuff bulks up your white wolf. It’s frightening to see people taking in so much bad, while merely hoping for the victory of the good. It’s not enough to hope. It’s not enough to dream or to beg or to pray. Make a strenuous and purposeful effort to surround yourself with positivity that will seep into your very being and feed your white wolf.
How? How can you be so alert at all times, as to stuff yourself silly with pleasure and amity? More steps than you’d think are needed to fully answer this question. Step one? Become friends with the word ‘no’. ‘No’ has so many uses, meanings, and connotations, that are often overlooked when it’s categorized as a poor response. ‘No’ can shut a door, which is a scary thing, but it can shut one that leads to suffering or consequences. It can shut one that is better off shut. Humans are so often under pressure to agree to everything, whether that is what’s genuinely true to them, or not. Declining an invitation to a huge party proves to be difficult and feels isolating. Yet that isolation might feel a little better than handcuffs. ‘No’ puts your body in less trauma than spiraling into a habit of drug use, or even being rude and catty at school. ‘No’ can do a surprisingly good job of feeding your white wolf, once you train your lips to use it.
In some of the most famous fight scenes, one person takes the other’s sword, and kills him with it. Oh the pettiness, oh the irony of being killed with your own sword. There’s a way for the white wolf to take ‘greed’ from the black wolf, twist it around a little, and actually use it as the good side’s strongest weapon. The idea behind greed is acting upon the drive to obtain desirable things for oneself. Greed turns bad when it’s done to too drastic of an extent, which is unfortunately often the case. However, greed, in a way, can be used as an essential method of feeding your white wolf. People rarely are found taking valuable time out of their day to do something that they love. It’s hard to let yourself watch a TV show when you have more work to do. People think that working extra hard to finally finish an assignment will bring them relief and then they’ll watch the show. Know what happens? As soon as they finish their work, more pops up, and they never do watch a TV show. It’s absolutely imperative that you become just a touch greedy, to give yourself pleasure and happiness even when it doesn’t feel right. So do what makes you happy, for God’s sake. Or, jeez, for your own sake. Treat yourself. Go out of your way to get some food in that white wolf, and you’ll be pleased with the difference that it makes.
There’s a famous expression about the principle of giving, “We rise by lifting others.” Generosity has a weird and unexpected effect. By completing random acts of kindness, and by helping others out, we actually intrinsically gain from it. When we are self-less and compassionate, we feel happier. The feeling of knowing you brightened someone’s day in turn brightens your own. It’s a boomerang effect. Maya Angelou often touched on the fact that no one has ever become poor from giving. Although it’s hard to sink into that fact, and trust it, it’s there. True as can be. It doesn’t need to be extreme; Start small. You don’t need to house all homeless people tomorrow. You don’t need to cure cancer or promote sex trafficking awareness. Start by telling a stranger you like their dress. Start by asking someone how their day was, if they look a little down. Start with lifting others up, and you yourself will rise.
So you’re getting a little older, and so are your wolves. They’re tired after fighting for years on end. How do you ensure that the good will prevail? Become friends with the word ‘no’. Take time to give yourself pleasure. Be kind and helpful to others around you. Although we are unable to see it, everyone else has their own wolves they’re trying to feed. Everyone. Keep stuffing down love and selflessness and wash it all down with some humility. Take steps to fatten up your white wolf — you’ll thank yourself for it.
