The Wolf you feed

Another fine day here on the mountain. The weather has spoiled us the last few days, though I can't complain much. Thankfully it has been pleasant since so much is going on these days; Earth day, the farmers' market, and today Laura's Art Fair. All these events have come off splendidly, and in part we have the fine weather to thank for that.

I read a short story this morning. Several years ago, the track and coach and the swimming coach both had us read this story before the championship competition. In some respects it might have proved more appropriate at the start of training, but perhaps not. The story reads as follows:

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 "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 thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Cool story, yeah? It's very dualistic in the sense that the story posits two opposing ideas inside every person, yet it transcends that dualism by shrinking the entire universe down to the level of a single person.

I could see this story appealing (or not) to people in multiple ways. On one level, the story suggests that the attitudes we bring to everyday life depend on the decision we make of which wolf to feed. If we wish to live a generous, compassionate, and peaceful life, we can choose to feed the wolf that is good.

Yet sometimes we find that people wish to be good but do not know how in given situations. Sometimes we get swept up by emotion, or carried along by the attitudes of others. Sometimes the pressure to conform to a social situation make it difficult to view the world as we would like. And of course, sometimes it is quite difficult to feed the good wolf, even though we know in our hearts the choice to right.

Which brings me to a saying I heard earlier this past week. A person at school said, "Jeff, don't get caught up thinking about how to do good in the world. It is far too complicated to capture as a single whole. Rather, try imagining your life as a series of moments, each one permeated by an opportunity to do something right and good in that moment. Just do the next right thing, and everything will fall into place."

I found the idea so laid out pretty neat. It keeps things simple, and makes the task of doing good straight-forward and managable. It's not always clear what the "next right thing" is, but it at least frames the question in a way that you can ask it at any given time and come up with a relavant answer. Perhaps. Perhaps.

In both cases, choice plays a central role in determining how you think and act. You are empowered, if you choose, to make a choice and act according to your own conscience. It can be difficult for people to do this, because people often have very complicated minds, which can cause them to act in ways they later think are foolish, mean-spirited, or down-right wrong. To practice life is, in part, to practice acting and thinking according to your true beliefs and values throughout the day, and through the great variety of circumstances that life encounters.

A professional musician can play with style, poise, and good intonation whenever he or she picks up their instrument, or makes to sing with their voice. A non-professional musician, typically, can play in tune most of the time, posess a wonderful and unique style on good days, and maintain poise in the practice room even if on stage things can become dicey. It's okay to be nervous. It's okay to be less than perfect. We can do our best in each moment to play with poise, skill, and beautiful tone. Each note, each phrase, each musical idea; it is another opportunity to make beautiful music. Good luck!