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Some very good comments here..have given me a lot of food for thought. I think that it does depend upon which wolf you feed, and that there are intertwined and always a part of us, and we don't have to be part of a society (although ALL of us are) because it is within us; a lifeling spiritual battle/quest/striving that all of us go through. Just remember tho that a wolf you don't feed is also the one that snaps at yer heels the most often, demanding to be fed..makes it harder to overcome, but it can be with prayer and help from G-D
Is it even possible to live with one wolf and not the other? Fear can keep you alive and anger is sometimes justified. Sometimes you have to fight back, not just for you, but for someone you care about. The "bad" wolf is what gives you fire power to do so even when the intensions come from the "good" wolf. If you have conquered the "bad" wolf, would you be more likely to get walked on or stepped over? And ultimately, not feeding the "good" wolf would lead to a destructive and miserable life. I think this question actually brings out more questions, but ultimately, whether we want to or not, we end up feeding both wolves, one is always in a struggle with the other.
I first heard this analogy about 10 years ago during this, my 3rd (and so far successful), attempt at kicking booze & dope. In the context of 12-step recovery (AA, NA, et al.), this story is more of a tool to develop awareness of our character strengths and defects. This helps us in conjunction with our step work which emphasizes many spiritual principles such as honesty, humility, atonement, forgiveness, and selflessness. Of course, it's virtually impossible to be completely at any one end of the spectrum, either positive or negative. As a rule, those of us earnestly seeking recovery strive for "progress rather than perfection."
This is one of my favorite quotes / stories. There seems to be many versions of it circulating the internet so I don't know which one the Cherokee truly told his grand child but either way they all seem to point to the same general message that its up to us how we come out with our attitude towards things.
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Definitely one of the best teaching lessons around and something that I've kept with me a long time and also discussed with others. We are our own worst enemy when we feed the negative.
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The message, though full of so much wisdom, is hardly acknowledged by anyone today. Men have become self-centered and uncaring not even for themselves so paying no mind to other is the norm because feeding the wolf of base desires is paramount in their lives.
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