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A Mom's Year

Creating a comfortable life one moment at a time

April 25, 2013

Explaining Good and Evil / The Battle Inside Us

I admit that sometimes I wish Tim were more of an all-singing, all-dancing kind of Dad. “Okay, gang! Let’s train for a 5K!” or “Let’s form a family band—get out your instruments!” or “It’s Game Night!”

But the truth is that such enthusiasm from him would probably wear me out. And, anyway, his strengths come from a quieter place, which I’m often reminded of in unexpected ways.

Like last week. After the horrible events in Boston, I did my best to answer the kids’ questions. I wanted to be honest, but mostly I didn’t want them to know that the world can be like that.

Later in the week, I picked Lily up from school and saw her bouncing out of last year’s classroom followed by her former teacher. Mrs. J told me that Lily was explaining how we all have a good wolf and a bad wolf inside us, and the one that wins is the one we feed. Lily looked quite pleased, although I’m not sure if that was because it felt good to share wisdom or because she got some Skittles out of the deal. Probably both.

I realized that Tim must have shared the wolf story, hoping to help the kids make sense of why some people behave the way they do. He might not be flashy, but he’s awfully wise.

Here’s the full story, in case you haven’t heard it.

One day a Cherokee chief was talking to his grandson. “We all have a great battle going on inside us,” he told the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

One wolf is evil. Inside him lives anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego. The other wolf is good. Inside him lives joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”

The elder went on and told the boy that this fight was going on inside him right now. And it would continue all his life. The little boy sat thoughtfully for a moment then turned to ask his grandfather a question.

“Which wolf will win?” he said.

The Cherokee chief smiled at him and said simply, “The one you feed.”

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Filed Under: Faith, Life, Thought Shannon 4 Comments

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Comments

  1. Marilyn says

    April 25, 2013 at 11:31 am

    What a wonderfully simple and concrete way to talk about Boston.

    Reply
  2. Joan says

    April 25, 2013 at 3:12 pm

    Just wonderful, Shannon. I have that wise story on my bulletin board. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  3. Soleil says

    April 25, 2013 at 8:19 pm

    Thank you for sharing this! I really like it and am going to share it with my children too!

    Reply
  4. Shannon says

    April 25, 2013 at 10:39 pm

    I’m glad it resonates with all of you. I’m still learning about human nature and what we can and can’t control in ourselves and in others. But I’m reassured by this story and the idea that we do have some choice.

    Reply

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Hello! My name is Shannon Taylor. I'm a long-time writer and editor from Minnesota surprised to find myself on an island in the Pacific Northwest. I'm sharing this adventure with my husband, four kids, and two dogs. I “published” my first newsletter when I was nine, and I’ve loved sharing ideas, stories, and information ever since. I hope you find something here to inspire you and help you create a comfortable, cozy life.
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