Wolves

One winter evening, while sitting around a blazing fire, an old American Indian chief was teaching his grandson about life, and the inner war that goes on inside of all people.

“You see,” said the old man, “this inner struggle is like two wolves fighting each other. One is evil; full of anger, fear, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, hatefulness, and lies.”

“The other one,” he continued, poking the fire with a stick so it crackled, “is good; full of joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, friendship, empathy, generosity, faith, compassion, and truth.”

For a few minutes the boy pondered his grandfather’s words and then asked, “So which wolf wins, grandfather?”

His bright eyes focused on his grandson, and the wise old chief said, “The one that you feed.”

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I remember as a teenager sitting in a Sunday school class at church, and again later in seminary - seeing a film narrated by Elder Boyd K. Packer about the "music of our minds" - and our minds being like a stage.  It was basically taken from an article found in the January 1974 Ensign magazine.

Being the irreverent immature adolescents we were - countless jokes were made about this. Yes, we were somewhat mocking of a message from a servant of the Lord - for which actions I am positive there will be time assigned for me to spend in purgatory.

Those words so thoughtfully given many years ago are pretty spot on target, even more so today. Elder Packer talked about the influences that music can have on a person – their mind, and their spirit. I would like to take this a step further and include all types of media presented in today’s world.

In addition to questionable music, there are movies, books, video games, television, internet, texting and so-called “smart” phones - the list goes on (and on, and on). Each of these can provide much good in the world… and in turn each can also hide a significant evil behind the guise of coolness, popularity, or even sometimes tolerance.

You might be wondering what all this has to do with the story of the two wolves. The question is... what types of influences do I allow in my life which are feeding at least one of those two wolves inside?

The scriptures say that no one can serve two masters - or in other words, it is not possible to feed both wolves at the same time. Negative and distorted thought processes which come with depression - can also effectively serve the wrong master, or feed the “evil” wolf. For me, this can be significantly enhanced by outside influences.

It is never an easy task to make changes in thought patterns - for me it has taken both ongoing therapy and medication (along with a great deal of love and support from dear friends). I still experience periods of depression - but I know to whom and where can I turn for peace.

I also know that my choices of media can have a powerful impact on all aspects of my life - mentally, emotionally, and especially spiritually. I tend to be very picky about the quality and type of media allowed in my home and in my life - striving to select that which will feed the good inside.