Two Wolves

There was grandfather, and his little
grandson, who often came in the evenings
to sit at his grandfather's knee and ask the
many questions that children ask.
 
One day the grandson came to his grandfather
with a look of anger on his face.
 
Grandfather said, "Come, sit, and tell me
what has happened today."
 
The child sat and leaned his chin on his
Grandfather's knee. Looking up into the
wrinkled, nut brown face and the kind dark
eyes: the child's anger turned to quiet tears.


The Boy said, "I went to the town today,
with my father, to trade the furs he has
collected over the past several months.
I was happy to go, because father said that
since I had helped him with the trapping,
I could get something for me.
Something that I wanted.

I was so excited to be in the trading post as
I had not been there before. I looked at
many things and finally found a metal knife!
It was small, but a good size for me,
so father got it for me."
 
Here the boy laid his head against his
grandfather's knee and became silent.
The Grandfather, softly placed his hand
on the boy's raven hair and said, "and
then what happened?"
 
Without lifting his head, the boy said,
"I went outside to wait for father, and to
admire my new knife in the sunlight.

Some town boys came by and saw me,
they got all around me and started saying
bad things. They called me dirty and stupid
and said that I should not have such a fine
knife. The largest of these boys pushed me
back and I fell over one of the other boys.
I dropped my knife and one of them snatched
it up and they all ran away laughing."
 
Here the boy's anger returned, "I hate them,
I hate them all!"
 
The Grandfather, with eyes that had seen too
much, lifted his grandson's face so his eyes
looked into the boy's.
 
Grandfather said, "let me tell you a story.
 
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. It is like
taking poison and wishing your enemy
would die.

I have struggled with these feelings
many times.
 
It is as if there are two wolves inside me,
one is White and one is Black.

The White Wolf is good and does no harm.
He lives in harmony with all around him and
does not take offense when no offense was
intended. But will only fight when it is right
to do so, and in the right way.

But, the Black Wolf, 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
Grandfathers eyes, and asked, "Which one
wins Grandfather?"
 
The Grandfather, smiled and said,
 
"The one I feed."