Good dog

There's a Native American proverb that often I reflect on throughout the day. It says that within the heart of every human is a battle between two dogs, one being the good dog which is comprised of love, compassion, humility, empathy, selflessness, patience, the other is comprised of deceitfulness, discrimination, anger, envy, malice and anguish. This battle is said to rage on until one defeats the other and the one who wins is the one you feed. In other words, seeing this "good dog" as the light within us all, by acting from within instead of reacting impulsively, we ultimately kindle this flame. The more we feed the good dog, the stronger he becomes and the more often he prevails. By allowing this "good dog" to become stronger and shine through we are better able to perceive the nature of things because our vision is not obscured by negative emotions that cause the mind to look at things in a darker point of view. If we are able to look at all situations with this mindset and learn from them instead of letting them throw us into counter productive emotional states we are able to cultivate wisdom and lead a life of happiness and integrity. When on the contrary, we react to external forces and allow ourselves to be manipulated by circumstance, we feed the bad dog which ultimately leads to depression and confusion. This is so because by being so attached to the results of our actions or those of others to the point that we feel the need to lie, cheat and deceive we are setting ourselves up for a let down because ultimately we are not in control of what happens. Therefore feed your good dog! Not only will you gradually find yourself in a consistent good mood, you will have a positive effect on others and will see the world from a clearer, more capable point of view.