Two Wolves
Author: Stacey Druss Issue: 2023-03-01
Two Wolves
by Stacey Druss
There’s a story that many of us are familiar with. It’s the one about the two wolves and which one we feed. Its origin is typically attributed to the Cherokee, although all that is certain is that it stems from a Native American tribe. Likely that does not matter. Wisdom is not meant to be owned. It is meant to be embodied and expressed.
This tale speaks of two conflicting parts of ourselves: one representing love, the other hate, anthropomorphized as two wolves. When questioned by the grandson as to which one will win, the grandfather tells him that it will be the one that he chooses to feed.
This is a lesson that calls on us to reflect upon where we are choosing to direct our attention. We repeat the story, knowing that we are sharing an ancient wisdom passed from grandfather to grandson. We seem to agree with the teaching that our present lived experience will be perceived through the lens that we choose. It feels true.
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But is there more?
Recently, and on more than one occasion, looking deeper into this story has been derailed by conversations that focused on the visual descriptors of the two wolves; the words “black” and “white” having negative racial connotations. Now, this is a very important conversation and substitutes for those words should be explored with great care, not decided based upon who speaks the loudest or holds the floor the longest. I personally prefer “dark” and “light”, as the dark wolf represents our shadow shelf.
My maternal instinct rejects the notion that I should ignore that part of myself until it starves to death. I won’t buy into the patriarchal narrative that proposes that one part must be beaten into submission, and broken, before it can be built back better. As a loving being, graced with courage and strength, I’ll kneel down before that terrified one, and and follow the wise advice of Shelley Taylor and “tend and befriend” that stranger. I’ll learn to understand what it needs for it to not be so frightened, and I’ll see to it that its needs are met. That is what my ancestral grandmothers are calling upon me to do.
It is the task that lies ahead of each one of us; those of us who want to create a better tomorrow than yesterday. There is no other way. It can be a scary journey, but it’s what our world needs for us to do. We really are the ones we have been waiting for. Together, we can do this!
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- Stacey Druss (author)
- 2023 (year)
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