I once heard a story of an old Cherokee Indian which goes a bit like this:
“One evening a Cherokee Indian told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, ‘My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.’
The grandson asked his grandfather: ‘Which wolf wins?’
The old Cherokee replied, ‘The one you feed.’”
Australia is often considered the ‘lucky country’, the laid back land of long summer afternoons at backyard barbecues, of freedom, laughter, ocean breezes and the collective mindset of ‘she’ll be right mate’. The threat of public beheadings by militant terrorists is so unexpected to most of us that it seems almost funny. It sounds like a sick joke. But it’s not a joke. As the media regularly remind us, it’s a sobering and gut wrenching reality.
A byproduct of living in this new era, of facing unpredictable anger from people we scarcely understand let alone know how to deal with, is the uprising of fear. I’ve listened to the conversations around me. Kind, unassuming people are starting to question the wisdom of multiculturalism on our shores, despite their own diverse ancestry. Suspicion is rising against those following the Muslim faith, no matter how moderate they profess to be. Fear and lack of trust are appearing in places where peace and harmony once occupied.
One way to take control of a nation is by physical aggression. Another way is to rob the people of their peace of mind, values they hold dear and their freedom of thinking. We must rely on our government and military forces to protect us from the former, but the latter extends to each of us at the grass root level.
As we hear of wars and threats of wars, and terrorism and threats of terrorism, we are rightly angered and perplexed. But there is one choice that will make or break us. We can react to the madness with our own hatred, aggression, prejudice and violence, as victims taking on the characteristics of our aggressors. Or we can choose to feed the other wolf: the good wolf who acknowledges evil yet continues to live in the spirit of love, with joy, peace, hope, serenity, kindness and generosity. The story of the Cherokee indian rings true to me. Choosing which wolf you feed does make a difference.
When my heart aches for the journalist on the TV screen, kneeling helplessly to meet his fate, I can use the energy of my disgust to start turning the tide. Rather than feeling paralysed, I can channel that energy into some random act of kindness. I can lend a hand to a stranger in need, stand up for the underdog who is having a hard time at work, fight for our environment or the rights of suffering animals, cook a meal for a friend during a difficult time or just drive the car with courtesy and good manners. I can smile at somebody I don’t know in the supermarket. As we do these things, we are feeding the other wolf.
So which wolf will win? It will be the wolf we feed.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32
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