All Things Are Two…..The Battle Within

Native Americans and mountain people share a similar  story that is told by the elders to the young ones.  I first head it told by on old preacher man from the mountains of West Virginia, but I know of many Native American tribes that also tell it.

It goes like this:  There is a battle that goes on within us symbolized by two dogs, or wolves.  One is black and one is white.  The black one represents one who is evil, demonstrated by anger, jealousy, greed, arrogance, resentment, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

The other is what is good and has joy, peace, love hope, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.

The moral of the story is that winner of this fight that goes on within us is the one that we feed the most.

A Pawnee by the name of Eagle Chief from the late 19th century very eloquently put it this way:

“All things in the world are two.  In our minds we are two – good and evil.  With our eyes we see two things – things that are fair and things that are ugly… We have the right hand that strikes and makes for evil, and the left hand full of kindness, near the heart.  One foot may lead us to an evil way, the other foot may lead us to a good.  So are all things two, all two.”