The Two Wolves
(a thought on the dual nature of human beings)
I just read Louise Penny’s latest novel, The Gray Wolf, in her ongoing series about Inspector Gamache and the Quebec village of Three Pines, where anyone with good sense would want to live, despite the occasional murder. When I find time to read fiction, I look to mystery novels like Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers, and to me Louise Penny is one of the best writers alive today. This is not my favorite book of the series because it is a little TOO exciting for a relaxing read! It is an edge-of-seat thriller with a very complex plot. The plot sounds prescient or at least strangely familiar given today’s political environment — which made it a little too thrilling. Not just a mystery to solve but an existential threat to all we hold dear. We currently have the evening news for that! (But it’s still a great read.)
In the book she tells a version of the parable of the two wolves. I have always heard it as a story Native American elders tell their grandchildren. It is simple. The truth is usually simple. There are two wolves that live inside each of us. As one version puts it, “One is evil — full of anger, sorrow, regret, greed, self-pity and false pride. The other is good — full of joy, peace, love, humility, kindness and faith.” The two wolves are locked in a mortal fight within us. The child asks, “Who will win?” The reply is, “The one you feed.”
I have always thought this a pretty accurate assessment of human nature. As a child I was told there was an angel on each shoulder, whispering in my ear, but only one angel was worthy of my attention — same story really. The assumption is that there is always tension within us between our “better angels” and our “worst instincts.” That conflict has been present since Adam and Eve left the Garden! Perhaps it bears some thought as to how accurate it is, or how evenly matched “the wolves” are. Either way, I think it is unfair to smear the wolf — a creature I admire — with a very human trait no matter how good a parable it makes.