大象传媒

Ruth Scott Anglican Priest and Quaker:听

In recent weeks we鈥檝e heard a lot about the amazing personal discipline required by athletes preparing for the Olympics. Sadly, we鈥檝e also heard about a few who鈥檝e tried to improve their performance through the use of banned substances. They鈥檙e one example of how we human beings can sabotage ourselves when we give in to less than honourable impulses. In different ways that鈥檚 a struggle common to us all. As St Paul put it, 鈥淚 do not do the good I want, but the wrong I do not want is what I do.鈥� Faith encourages the discipline of constantly refocusing on the right values. As I work to narrow the gap between the ideals to which I aspire, and the much messier reality I generally live, I remember a story I heard when I went to America to record a series of programmes for 大象传媒 World Service on Native American spirituality. My children, Freya and, four-year old Tian, came with me. We spent the summer visiting various pow-wows, learning about the Sacred Circle, the dances, the Drum, and meeting the people for whom these are central aspects of their identity. One of my abiding memories is of Tian dancing around the Sacred Circle with a North Dakota Blackfoot chief in full regalia. There was a lovely connection between them. For months after the trip a constant phrase of Tian鈥檚 was, 鈥淢y friend, Thunderwolf says鈥︹�� The story that stays with me from that time concerns an old Cherokee who tells his grandson about a conflict that goes on inside each of us. 鈥淢y son, the battle is between two wolves. One is evil. It is anger, envy, fear, greed, arrogance, self-pity, indifference, hatred, ignorance and ego. The other is good. It is empathy, joy, love, serenity, compassion, generosity, humility, selflessness, faith and integrity.鈥� The grandson thought for a while about the two wolves inside himself, and the battle between them. Eventually he asked his grandfather, 鈥淲hich one wins?鈥� The old Cherokee, replied, 鈥淭he one you feed.鈥澨�听

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