Two Wolves to Feed

Have you ever been so angry you can hardly stand it?  You know what I am talking about.  I’m talking about that “Monday afternoon stuck in rush hour, you just got cut off in traffic and you have a million things to get done at home and not enough time” feeling.  We all have different ways to handle this and personally I have found running helps.  This past week it was very therapeutic as I dealt with things here as the effects of home sickness started to get stronger.  As I ran I felt great as I broke out to a fast pace for the first couple miles of my run.  “BAM BAM BAM” as my feet slapped the pavement at a brisk pace.  The interesting thing is my overall pace was slower because I started out too fast.  This got me thinking of how different powerful feelings motivate us.

Anger is a powerful feeling that can be shown in outbursts, but how long can you sustain it?  I feel anger, even righteous anger, can only power you for so long before your tank runs out.  The days I have ran with anger as my true motivator I have ran the slowest in the long run (although it acts as a great venting method for anger).  What has motivated me during my best runs?  The answer to that is when I am focused on the children over in Haiti that I am raising money for.  I envision specific children that I saw when I visited and I link it with recent news of hurricane Isaac moving through Haiti and its’ disastrous impact.  I would summarize this feeling as a feeling of love, or more specifically compassion.  The word compassion defined as “to suffer with”, or to be moved to act for another.  Whereas anger is a flare that is bright and powerful that extinguishes over time, I argue that compassion is a fire within that burns steady and strong and will only go out if we fail in fueling it.

Which one will you choose: anger, or compassion?  As a member of the 336^th Red Wolves Training Squadron I find the following short story perfect for explaining how we all answer this question.

                                                        

A Cherokee elder sitting with his grandchildren told them, “In every life there is a terrible fight—a fight between two wolves. One is evil: he is fear, anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, and deceit. The other is good: joy, serenity, humility, confidence, generosity, truth, gentleness, and compassion.” A child asked, “Grandfather, which wolf will win?” The elder looked him in the eye. He answered“The one you feed.”

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend.