“One evening an old Cherokee 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, forgiveness, 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.”
– Cherokee Author Unknownmebeli
I think I was about 12 or 13 years old when I became aware of the two wolves that battled inside me. Like the Cherokee parable, one wolf was good and the other was evil. Like a lot of young men, I made good choices and I made bad choices. Sometimes, the evil wolf made me lie to get what I wanted. Most of the time, the good wolf encouraged me to do the right thing. I did the best I could while not truly understanding this duality within me. I never told anyone about the two wolves—for me it was a private angst.
As an adult I have learned to manage a truce with the two wolves, but from time to time my desire to win at all costs was prodded on by the evil wolf. My corporate life found me battling many bad wolves; some were my bosses and coworkers while others were my customers. They challenged my ethics and begged me to do whatever it took to “succeed”. It seemed that the higher that I climbed the corporate ladder, the more I was challenged to compromise my personal ethics so I could do what the corporation needed. I regret that I made some lousy choices and hurt others in the pursuit of money and position while being subservient to the wolves at bay.
Because of these ethical challenges and my desire to take control of my work life, I eventually left the corporate work world for my current life as an independent writer, consultant, and teacher. I wanted to better manage the wolves within me and make better choices. Moreover, I wanted to teach others how to make better ethical choices—I guess that may sound lofty or presumptuous.
Yet, even today the two wolves are still at war within me. I must feed the good wolf daily to keep him strong since the evil wolf still lives.
John Bradley Jackson
© Copyright 2008 All rights reserved.
I like the story. I think a similar story exists in many cultures because it’s such a universal struggle. I like this Cherokee one. Very relevant to the daily choices of a business person. Thanks.
Thanks Greg,
The battle of good versus evil is universal. I am teaching a sales class this summer and was trying to come up with a way to teach about ethics in selling. This parable really hit home with me.
JBJ