Which Wolf Will You Feed?

[mother earth]

After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, as many people feared an ongoing and vicious spiral of retaliation and global violence, a wonderful and well-known Cherokee legend went viral on the Internet: An old grandfather is speaking to his grandson about what causes the violence and cruelty in the world. "In each human heart," he tells the boy, "there are two wolves battling one another -- one is fearful and angry, and the other is understanding and kind." The young boy then asks, "Which one will win?" His grandfather smiles and says, "Whichever one we choose to feed."

It's easy to feed the fearful, angry wolf. Especially if we've experienced great wounding, the anger pathway can become deeply ingrained in our system. When our old sense of injury or fear is triggered, the intolerable heat and pressure of anger instantly surge through us. Our attention gets riveted on the feelings and thoughts of violation and all we want is revenge. Often before we have any sense of choice, the nasty comeback is out of our mouth, we've slammed a door, hit "send" on an ill-advised email, put someone down behind his back.

Yet, we do have a choice. Meditations that train the heart and the mind directly deactivate the anger pathways that propel our habitual behaviors. While the limbic system acts almost instantaneously, we can develop a response from the frontal cortex -- which includes the social centers involved with compassion -- that interrupts and subdues the reaction. This is where cultivating mindfulness comes in.

Mindfulness is the "remembering" that helps us pause and recognize what's happening in the present moment. Once we've paused, we can call on the higher brain centers to open new possibilities. We can soothe ourselves, recall another person's difficulties and vulnerability, and remember our own goodness and strength. No matter how painfully we're triggered by the world's violence and insensitivity, we can direct our attention in ways that carry us home to our intrinsic sanity and good-heartedness. This awakening is our evolutionary potential: For the sake of our own inner freedom and the well-being of others, we can intentionally feed the understanding, kind wolf. (continued at link)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tara-brach/forgiveness_b_2370116.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living