The Tale of the Two Wolves
Tonight I was privileged to watch a scenario that a “hidden camera” TV show producer would have loved.
My son likes to look outside after he takes naps, this particular time we looked outside to see a gentleman walking to his car which was parked right in front of our house. The car was parked under a tree and as the man approached his car he stopped suddenly and a disgusted expression took the place of an otherwise normal face. Sure enough he had just witnessed, as had my son and I, a blue jay taking a poop on his car from the tree above.
Obiviously disgruntled he walked to his driver side door, stopped, looked up, looked down, looked up again, looked at the poop on the roof of his car, looked up again and then firmly walked over to the grass by the curb.
The blue jay was still hopping about the branches about half-way up the tree. The man was moving with a purpose and was moving around like he was looking for something. All of sudden he picks a medium sized stick and hurls it up at the bird.
There are two variables you should be aware of, 1. There are tons of little branches between him and the bird and 2. There is a steady 15mph wind wipping in from the north, with gusts up to 25mph.
Now that you know these variable I bet you guess what happened to the stick. Yes, it hit a branch nowhere near the bird. He scrounges around again and finds another stick and whips it up at the bird, who is still hopping about on the branches and since he is still there he must not sense any threat. The second stick hits a branch.
The man, now enraged, marches over to my neighbors yard where there is a little bamboo rod sticking into the lawn with remnants of markers used to keep people off the sod that was newly laid in the fall. He grabs one of the little bamboo rods as if he were drawing the famous sword Excalibur from the stone. He marches over, draws back as if he were throwing a javelin and lets the little rod fly! At that point the wind gusts and the rod flys back and lands a few feet from where he stands. He angrily gets in his car and drives off. The blue jay remains hopping about on the branches half-way up. The Blue Jay actually stayed in that generally area for another ten minutes.
In my humble opinion that blue jay ruined that man’s day, or least the next several hours. It reminded me of the story of two wolves we recount in our trainings.
The Two Wolves
An Old Indian Grandfather said to his grandson who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice.
“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 fellings many times.”
He continued…
“It is as if there are two wolves inside me; One is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way. He saves all his energy for the right fight.
But the other wolf, ahhh! He 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 connot 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 want to dominate my spirit.”
The Boy looked intently into his Grandfather’s eyes and asked…
“Which one wins, Grandfather?”
The Grandfather smiled and quietly said,
“The one I feed.”
Everyday things are going to happen that will be the equivalent of a bird pooping on your car, do you let the bad wolf dominate or do you let the good wolf win?
In Your Service
Brandon Johnson
“Positive Energy Guy”
