Good Multiplies Good

Snowy background with single wolf off to the right. Text reads, " Good Multiplies Good."


I am a firm believer that whatever you put out in to the world, multiplies.  

Love multiplies love.  
Kindness multiplies kindness.  
Compassion multiplies compassion.
Generosity multiplies generosity.

And similarly.
Hate multiples hate.
Distrust multiplies distrust.
Jealousy multiplies jealousy.
Fear multiplies fear.

And so on and so on...

These are example of some instances that feed both positive and negative situations we have within our society.

I believe that we cause ripples with our actions and reactions. And likewise we are affected by others choices and feelings.  A cross word at the local supermarket has the potential to influence the rest of your days interactions, much like a compliment or pleasing interaction can feed in to positive interactions later in the day.

We have likely all heard the 'Tale of Two Wolves.' Some say it is a Native American story from the Cherokee tribe.  Others say it came from Billy Graham the evangelical preacher.  Even Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw has connections to its origin, but no one really knows who came up with it.


The Tale of Two Wolves

A grandfather is talking with his grandson and he says there are two wolves inside of us which are always at war with each other. 

One of them is a good wolf which represents things like kindness, bravery and love. The other is a bad wolf, which represents things like greed, hatred and fear.

The grandson stops and thinks about it for a second then he looks up at his grandfather and says, “Grandfather, which one wins?”

The grandfather quietly replies, the one you feed.

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I have found that in my life I have the two wolves.  Both of them vying for my attention.  Each one wanting fed.  

The aggressive one can be very vocal.  I am naturally not very optimistic, largely due to my experiences but nevertheless, it is a fact I am aware of and so I have to keep on top of it.  I mean, who wants to be around a 'Negative Nelly' right?  I certainly didn't and I was me!  So there was no getting away.

The other was quiet and alluring.  It was the person I wanted to be.
Calm.
Careful.
Restful.
Focused. 

It quietly waited.

I understand that wolves don't live inside me.
You don't need to make a phone call.
I am fully aware that this is just a way of providing insight in to the internal dialogue that some of us have.

What I learnt was each thought was like food.  It could feed good and multiply good or it could feed bad feelings and multiply pain.  I had to learn to eat right.  

The right attitudes.
The right thoughts.
The right facts.
The right insight and understanding.

I had to decide if my thoughts were positive or negative.
Were they beneficial or did they tear me down?

Everything I thought and felt about myself poured out in to the relationships and interactions I had with others.

I was a hurt and angry person for a long time and it showed.  I could smile for an amount of time but eventually it would pour out on to someone else.  After that I would then set about tearing myself down even more, causing a vicious cycle of hurt and feeding the wrong wolf.

We have the power to affect others.  Whether we know it or not we can create change in the world or in the heart of an individual, often time never seeing the extent of the impact that we made on others.  That is why I value doing good so highly.

What better way to help heal the hurt.
What better way to befriend the lonely.
What better way to uplift another.
Than to know who we are and allow that to pour out on to others.

We don't have to be perfect.
We wont be successful every time.

Sometimes math isn't easy.
Sometimes feeding the right wolf is tiring.
But it is worth it to do good because what harm does it do?

What harm does kind words do?
What harm does compassion do?
What harm does thoughtfulness produce?

None.
None.

And what do we have to gain from living this lifestyle?

Everything
Kindness
Friendships
Purpose
Opportunities
Everything

Whether we change the world or raise up  the next generation, we all multiply what we put out.

We can all empower.
We can all demonstrate goodness.

I am going to leave you with a quote that I love from Sunday Adelaja who is a Ukrainian Pastor.

"You only gain in life when you multiply."

Even if you don't see it, someone gains when we put our best out in to our streets, communities and the world.  And our best looks different from one person to the next.  

It isn't perfection.
You don't have to be perfect.
You just have to be you.
The you that is evolving in to the person you are meant to be.

We gain in life when we multiply.
So let's multiply something that is pure, simple and filled with goodness.

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If you would like to share your story or contact me please feel free to private message me on our Facebook page or on Instagram and while you are there you can give me a like or a follow for daily encouragements. You can also email me using theencouragerslife@gmail.com address. 


Be sure to check out our next article here on ‘The Encouragers Life.’


 Article written by J. Bingham

Copyright 2022



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