Cherokee Wisdom

[Judy Harder]

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a

battle that goes on inside people.  He said, "My son,

the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all.

One is Evil.  It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret,

greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment

inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

The other is Good.  It is joy, peace, love, hope,

serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence,

empathy, generousity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute

and then asked his grandfather,

"Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed.

[archeobabe]

This is good advise for everyone to live by.  I just hope the everyone feed the good wolf inside us.

[frawin]

A very good message.

mlw

[Judy Harder]

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage?

His  father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone.

He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it.
He cannot cry out for help to anyone.
Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.
The boy is naturally terrified.
He can hear all kinds of noises.
Wild beasts must surely be all around him.
Maybe even some human might do him harm.
The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.
It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him.
He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.
We, too, are never alone.
Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us.
When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.


If you liked this story, pass it on.
If not, you took off your blindfold before dawn.


Moral of the story:

Just because you can't see God,

Doesn't mean He is not there.

'For we walk by faith, not by sight.'

[Teresa]

I liked that Judy... 

[archeobabe]

Sometimes the Native American had the best wisdom a person can live by.

[Judy Harder]

Lessons on Life

There was an Indian Chief who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest.., in turn..,

to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the Winter, the second in the Spring, the third in Summer,

and the youngest son in the Fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son said "no" it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so

sweet and looked so beautiful. It was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had

each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from

that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's Winter, you will miss the promise of your Spring,

the beauty of your Summer, the fulfillment of your Fall.

Moral:

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

Don't judge life by one difficult season.

Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come.



Live Simply.

Love Generously.

Care Deeply.

Speak Kindly.

Leave the Rest to God.

Happiness keeps You Sweet,

Trials keep You Strong,

Sorrows keep You Human,

Failures keep You Humble,

Success keeps You Glowing,

But God keeps You Going!