The two wolves: the Cherokee legend that teaches us to accept the good and the bad within us

Have you ever heard of the legend of the two wolves? It is attributed to the Cherokee, a native people of North America, and in its extreme simplicity it contains a very important truth.

Legend has it that an elderly Cherokee decided to offer his nephew a precious lesson: he took him aside and revealed to him that in the mind and heart of each of us there are two wolves fighting against each other.

One of them, which represents our dark side, is bad, envious, jealous, greedy, arrogant, a liar, full of false pride, while the other wolf is good, joyful, serene, loving, humble, empathetic and kind. It is our bright part.

The grandson remained silent and then asked his grandfather: – Which wolf wins? -. There are two versions of the legend: according to one of them the old man replied “the one you feed”, according to the second version, which apparently is the authentic one, he told him that both win. What’s the difference?

The meaning of the first answer is that although we cannot eliminate the two wolves, we can choose which of the two to feed with our daily thoughts and decisions.

The second version of the answer is more subtle and complex: it means that both wolves are important and each of them has qualities that we may need. The black wolf, in fact, is very precious in adverse circumstances because it knows how to prove itself particularly astute and reckless, accustomed as it is to being in the darkness.

By nourishing and showing respect to both wolves, we can get the best from one and the other depending on the circumstances, without risking one of them remaining in the shadows, and therefore frustrated. Only in this way can the harmony of opposites be achieved, without which inner peace cannot be achieved.

SOURCES: radianceoneway/Lonerwolf