"The Wolves" - a little anecdote

[babagrr]

I'm sure that some of you have received some form or the other of the below anecdote:
however, I'm sharing it anyhow, just for those who never read it before and also because I have benefited from it's lesson tremendously.

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There was grandfather, his little grandson often came
in the evenings to sit at his 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, 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, I have not
been there before. I looked at many things and finally
found a metal knife! It was small, but 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 boys 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 starting 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 have 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 it 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 Grandfather's eyes,
and asked "which one wins Grandfather?"

The Grandfather, smiled and said, "The one I feed."

[babagrr]

No probs and sallaams