Feed The Good

It’s the auspicious occasion of Dussehra and an important festival for Indians that celebrates the victory of good over evil.

I am remembering a nice parable in this context. 

There was once a Native American elder who had two well-trained Dogs that he took to the Dog Fight Competition held by the community, every month. The village elder would also take his favorite grandson to accompany him to the Dog Fight.

The two dogs were so well trained that most times, one of them would win the competition beating all the other dogs in the fray. And, on many occasions, the two dogs would face off against each other either in the semi-finals or the finals. 

In all the situations when the two dogs were going against each other, the grand-son could not help but notice that his grandfather always lay a bet on one of the two Dogs to win. And, without any surprise, the Dog that the grandfather bet on always won.

“Grandfather, how do you know which of the two dogs will win when you place the bet,” the grandson asked.

“Well, my dear, It’s quite simple actually. The night before the fight, I feed one Dog and starve the other. I bet on the Dog I feed well the previous night and it always wins.”

This parable of the two dogs is a metaphor for the internal battle we all have inside us all the time. As individuals, we also have a dog fight happening inside our minds and hearts.

• Being positive vs. being negative
• Focussed vs. distracted
• Being generous vs. being selfish.
• Disciplined vs. Indisciplined
• Confident vs. insecure
• Speaking the truth vs. resorting to lies
• Being courageous vs. fearful.

Which Dog wins, ironically, does not depend on the dogs. It actually depends on us as the owners of the Dogs. The Dog we feed in terms of our energy and focus will win. 

Do we succumb to our baser instincts, or do we elevate our mindset to operate to a higher standard? 

The choice is ours to make.

The GOOD inside us has to triumph over the BAD.

Here’s wishing everyone the power to harness the GOD within on this auspicious occasion.