The Two Wolves
Preached 6/14/2020 at SouthWest UU in N. Royalton OH
By Rev. Meg Mathieson
I find it so interesting how the golden rule shows up again and again, throughout human history, all over the globe in different cultures. And not only does it show up, it shows up again and again as a religious instruction: not just ethical and moral - we should treat others how we want to be treated, but as a spiritual prescription to better our selves. From ancient Confucianists and Hindus to Christians to Unitarians, there is something so universal about the human need to be reminded to treat one another with kindness. With the same kindness with which we ourselves want to be treated.
The need to hear this is universal and it’s hard to learn! We find the golden rule dating back thousands of years, but we still need to relearn it daily.
This is the two wolves battling, a part of what it is to be human. We want. We have what many social scientists call our “monkey brain,” which is instinctive, reactive, and tribal.
Our monkey brain is the deepest part, the most ancient part, the part that warns us to run from mastodons and to run toward high-calorie foods. This is the “bad” wolf, which in our Time for all Ages, we learned was not so much bad, as it is normal and natural. We shouldn’t starve this wolf, the “monkey brain” wolf. But neither do we let it make the decisions.
It is our “good” wolf that is our higher self. The good wolf that is our elevated brain, the mind that knows better. The spiritual self that recognizes our connection to others and the importance of compassion.
We feed that wolf, we train it. Because it’s not easy to tame the monkey brain wolf. But they both must be accepted and loved.
I’d like to quote an article written by Father Stephen Powley, an Orthodox priest: Fr. Stephen says,
[The story of the two wolves] is now being backed up by the latest scientific evidence. I read a story in the newspaper called “God, Your Brain” by Michael Gerson. In it, he quotes the leading expert on the neurological basis for religion, Andrew Newberg. In his work on brain imaging, he has found that people who practice prayer and meditation actually alter the neural connections of the brain. This leads to “long-lasting states of unity, peacefulness, and love.” He found that this happens fast—a matter of weeks, not years. A strong religious belief amplifies this effect on the brain, “enhancing social awareness and empathy while subduing destructive feelings and emotions.”
“Contemplating a loving God strengthens portions of our brain – particularly the frontal lobes and the anterior cingulate – where empathy and reason reside. On the other hand, contemplating a wrathful god empowers the limbic system, which is filled with aggression and fear. It is a sobering concept:
The God (or god) we love changes us into his image!”
Interestingly, he uses the same imagery as the [wolf] story: “two packs of neurological wolves are found in every brain. One pack is oriented toward anger and the other toward compassion. So all human beings are left with a question: Which pack of wolves do we feed?”
The original version of the story indicates that instead of starving one, we intervene in the ongoing battle between the two and care for them both. This is mindfulness.
It is pretty interesting that white folks came along and simplified this wise story, taking out the real ending. The polarizing idea of a great battle between good and evil is very typical of the Western Euro-centric mindset. The indigenous people who told this story has something more subtle in mind, and they were right.
There is no good wolf or evil wolf. There is a lower wolf, a wolf who lives on base instincts alone, the wolf who is not connected to the higher mind. But neither is the “good “ wolf all good.
Nothing in life, it turns out is so simple! What we think of as the “good” wolf is the higher self that recognizes connection and practices compassion. But it alone cannot survive without its twin, the other wolf. They both must be developed and respected for each of their strengths.
And so in this month where our theme is good and evil, we recognize the vast grey area that we inhabit between the two. Not only that we inhabit, but that all of our fellow humans inhabit as well. And try to think of other humans the same way we think of the two wolves.
That, when we think of other people, every single other human is also grappling with these two wolves. Not a good wolf and a bad wolf but a self-centered, reactive wolf that is scared and focused on self-preservation, and a higher, kinder wolf that understands that all things are connected and that wants to follow the golden rule.
Some of us have spent years feeding that higher wolf. Some of us have never given it any thought at all. And this is what it means to say that all anger and hatred is based in fear. Anger, hatred, violence, bigotry, are the territory of the lower wolf. Because that wolf is a wild creature that doesn‘t understand compassion. That wolf is just running around in fear, trying to survive.
The lower wolf says, “Oh no, your skin is a different color than mine, I feel threatened by that!” We don’t feed this. But we also should not starve this wolf because it’s the same one that reminds us to eat and use the bathroom and not jump in front of trains. The lower wolf keeps us alive, but we leave the important decisions up to the higher wolf and feed the higher wold as much as we can by doing things like attending church, doing meditation, walking in nature, etc.
In the news, we have been seeing the result of a police culture that has fed the lower wolf too much. The police are not evil. Neither are they “good.” But there is a culture in many of the institutions in this country, and much of police culture is like this, as well as much of corporate culture and political culture, where the lower wolf of fear and reaction has been handed the reigns. Where the golden rule no longer applies.
It’s hard for us to imagine another system, but we don’t have to imagine because some of the most peaceful countries in the world have set healthy examples for us. Iceland, New Zealand, Portugal, Denmark, Canada, and others have healthy law enforcement cultures where the police are trained to de-escalate tension. Where the golden rule is modeled by the officers. Where the higher wolf reigns.
As we watch the protests, let’s try to remember that nobody is a bad guy, and nobody is a saint. The police officers who have caused pain and trauma are products of a broken system in which the lower wolf has been not only fed but spoiled rotten. The many police officers who have not caused harm, and in fact are kneeling along with protesters acknowledge that the system needs to change. The higher wolf is starving.
The same can be said for the victims themselves. Not one victim of police brutality was a perfect person. Many of them were deeply flawed, indeed, addicts living from a place of fear and feeding the lower wolf. But not one human is truly evil. We affirm that as Unitarian Universalists, that each human being has inherent worth and dignity and one of the things that means is that there is always an opportunity for redemption. The untimely taking of a life snuffs out the ability of each person to begin feeding their higher wolf. It appears, from all accounts, that Mr. George Floyd, was such a man, a complex and complicated man who had his own battles between the two wolves within him. And, by every account, he had recently been feeding his higher wolf, trying to live a less fear-based and more compassion-based life.
And he had his setbacks on that journey. But the choice and the power to continue growing as a three-dimensional, good-and-bad-and everything else complex human being was taken away from him as he cried for his mother.
Mr. George Floyd had two wolves inside of him, and one of them was whispering to him about the golden rule as he suffocated to death. The officer whose knee killed Mr. Floyd, too, had two wolves fighting within him, and that officer was feeding the fear-based, lower wolf.
This is what happens when we allow the lower wolf to run free for years and years, allowing it to gorge and fill itself with hatred and fear. This man is not irredeemable. This police officer also has inherent worth and dignity. The first step on the road toward his own human dignity is his ability to recognize that most basic of human law, and as law enforcement, to begin anew with enforcing it within himself - the golden rule.
Mr. police officer sir, please feed your higher wolf, for she is emaciated and starved. It’s not too late for you. Start with the golden rule.
Preached 6/14/2020 at SouthWest UU in N. Royalton OH
By Rev. Meg Mathieson
I find it so interesting how the golden rule shows up again and again, throughout human history, all over the globe in different cultures. And not only does it show up, it shows up again and again as a religious instruction: not just ethical and moral - we should treat others how we want to be treated, but as a spiritual prescription to better our selves. From ancient Confucianists and Hindus to Christians to Unitarians, there is something so universal about the human need to be reminded to treat one another with kindness. With the same kindness with which we ourselves want to be treated.
The need to hear this is universal and it’s hard to learn! We find the golden rule dating back thousands of years, but we still need to relearn it daily.
This is the two wolves battling, a part of what it is to be human. We want. We have what many social scientists call our “monkey brain,” which is instinctive, reactive, and tribal.
Our monkey brain is the deepest part, the most ancient part, the part that warns us to run from mastodons and to run toward high-calorie foods. This is the “bad” wolf, which in our Time for all Ages, we learned was not so much bad, as it is normal and natural. We shouldn’t starve this wolf, the “monkey brain” wolf. But neither do we let it make the decisions.
It is our “good” wolf that is our higher self. The good wolf that is our elevated brain, the mind that knows better. The spiritual self that recognizes our connection to others and the importance of compassion.
We feed that wolf, we train it. Because it’s not easy to tame the monkey brain wolf. But they both must be accepted and loved.
I’d like to quote an article written by Father Stephen Powley, an Orthodox priest: Fr. Stephen says,
[The story of the two wolves] is now being backed up by the latest scientific evidence. I read a story in the newspaper called “God, Your Brain” by Michael Gerson. In it, he quotes the leading expert on the neurological basis for religion, Andrew Newberg. In his work on brain imaging, he has found that people who practice prayer and meditation actually alter the neural connections of the brain. This leads to “long-lasting states of unity, peacefulness, and love.” He found that this happens fast—a matter of weeks, not years. A strong religious belief amplifies this effect on the brain, “enhancing social awareness and empathy while subduing destructive feelings and emotions.”
“Contemplating a loving God strengthens portions of our brain – particularly the frontal lobes and the anterior cingulate – where empathy and reason reside. On the other hand, contemplating a wrathful god empowers the limbic system, which is filled with aggression and fear. It is a sobering concept:
The God (or god) we love changes us into his image!”
Interestingly, he uses the same imagery as the [wolf] story: “two packs of neurological wolves are found in every brain. One pack is oriented toward anger and the other toward compassion. So all human beings are left with a question: Which pack of wolves do we feed?”
The original version of the story indicates that instead of starving one, we intervene in the ongoing battle between the two and care for them both. This is mindfulness.
It is pretty interesting that white folks came along and simplified this wise story, taking out the real ending. The polarizing idea of a great battle between good and evil is very typical of the Western Euro-centric mindset. The indigenous people who told this story has something more subtle in mind, and they were right.
There is no good wolf or evil wolf. There is a lower wolf, a wolf who lives on base instincts alone, the wolf who is not connected to the higher mind. But neither is the “good “ wolf all good.
Nothing in life, it turns out is so simple! What we think of as the “good” wolf is the higher self that recognizes connection and practices compassion. But it alone cannot survive without its twin, the other wolf. They both must be developed and respected for each of their strengths.
And so in this month where our theme is good and evil, we recognize the vast grey area that we inhabit between the two. Not only that we inhabit, but that all of our fellow humans inhabit as well. And try to think of other humans the same way we think of the two wolves.
That, when we think of other people, every single other human is also grappling with these two wolves. Not a good wolf and a bad wolf but a self-centered, reactive wolf that is scared and focused on self-preservation, and a higher, kinder wolf that understands that all things are connected and that wants to follow the golden rule.
Some of us have spent years feeding that higher wolf. Some of us have never given it any thought at all. And this is what it means to say that all anger and hatred is based in fear. Anger, hatred, violence, bigotry, are the territory of the lower wolf. Because that wolf is a wild creature that doesn‘t understand compassion. That wolf is just running around in fear, trying to survive.
The lower wolf says, “Oh no, your skin is a different color than mine, I feel threatened by that!” We don’t feed this. But we also should not starve this wolf because it’s the same one that reminds us to eat and use the bathroom and not jump in front of trains. The lower wolf keeps us alive, but we leave the important decisions up to the higher wolf and feed the higher wold as much as we can by doing things like attending church, doing meditation, walking in nature, etc.
In the news, we have been seeing the result of a police culture that has fed the lower wolf too much. The police are not evil. Neither are they “good.” But there is a culture in many of the institutions in this country, and much of police culture is like this, as well as much of corporate culture and political culture, where the lower wolf of fear and reaction has been handed the reigns. Where the golden rule no longer applies.
It’s hard for us to imagine another system, but we don’t have to imagine because some of the most peaceful countries in the world have set healthy examples for us. Iceland, New Zealand, Portugal, Denmark, Canada, and others have healthy law enforcement cultures where the police are trained to de-escalate tension. Where the golden rule is modeled by the officers. Where the higher wolf reigns.
As we watch the protests, let’s try to remember that nobody is a bad guy, and nobody is a saint. The police officers who have caused pain and trauma are products of a broken system in which the lower wolf has been not only fed but spoiled rotten. The many police officers who have not caused harm, and in fact are kneeling along with protesters acknowledge that the system needs to change. The higher wolf is starving.
The same can be said for the victims themselves. Not one victim of police brutality was a perfect person. Many of them were deeply flawed, indeed, addicts living from a place of fear and feeding the lower wolf. But not one human is truly evil. We affirm that as Unitarian Universalists, that each human being has inherent worth and dignity and one of the things that means is that there is always an opportunity for redemption. The untimely taking of a life snuffs out the ability of each person to begin feeding their higher wolf. It appears, from all accounts, that Mr. George Floyd, was such a man, a complex and complicated man who had his own battles between the two wolves within him. And, by every account, he had recently been feeding his higher wolf, trying to live a less fear-based and more compassion-based life.
And he had his setbacks on that journey. But the choice and the power to continue growing as a three-dimensional, good-and-bad-and everything else complex human being was taken away from him as he cried for his mother.
Mr. George Floyd had two wolves inside of him, and one of them was whispering to him about the golden rule as he suffocated to death. The officer whose knee killed Mr. Floyd, too, had two wolves fighting within him, and that officer was feeding the fear-based, lower wolf.
This is what happens when we allow the lower wolf to run free for years and years, allowing it to gorge and fill itself with hatred and fear. This man is not irredeemable. This police officer also has inherent worth and dignity. The first step on the road toward his own human dignity is his ability to recognize that most basic of human law, and as law enforcement, to begin anew with enforcing it within himself - the golden rule.
Mr. police officer sir, please feed your higher wolf, for she is emaciated and starved. It’s not too late for you. Start with the golden rule.