One evening the boy made his regular visit to see his grandfather. He sat quietly on the porch near his grandfather’s rocking chair, and for once, the boy was not eager to ask a question.
The grandfather rocked silently smoking his pipe for several minutes, waiting.
Finally, his grandson looked directly at him and thoughtfully asked, “Grandfather, you told me that we each have the Good Wolf and the Bad Wolf inside us. But, where did they come from? Were they always there, or did they come into us sometime when we were unaware?” He paused, but was not finished, for he had been thinking and discussing the two wolves with his companions ever since hearing about them. “I did not even know about them until you told me. I did not even realize I had voices going on in my head all the time. Then, once you told me about the two wolves, all of a sudden, my head was full of voices. Were they always there, or did you put them there?”
The grandfather stopped rocking and watched him closely while he talked. The boy finished, and then the grandfather rocked back and forth and smoked his pipe while he considered the question and how he wanted to answer it.
In due time, the grandfather answered, “These are very good questions which you pose. Now, you remember what I told you about questions.” This was not a question.
“Do you remember that I told you that the questions you have, come from inside of you, and the answers must come from inside of you as well? They are your questions. You own them. And, in order for you to own the answers to your questions, you cannot borrow someone else’s answer, for that answer belongs only to them.”
“Yes. But, if we don’t know where the answers are inside of us, how are we to find them?” the boy replied.
“Well, let me give you a hint,” the grandfather went on. “You listen.”
Then, he sat back in his rocker, smiled, and waited.
“But, what am I to listen for?” The boy was frustrated.
“You listen for the answer” the grandfather said.
“You see, we think that the question sends us in search of the answer. But, this is not the case. It is the answer that energizes us to seek it, and this gives rise to the question. There cannot be a question without an answer. They are created together, but the answer must come first."
Then he continued. Let me me give you an example, "It is like an itch. The itch seems to come first, and it gives rise to the urge to scratch. Then you answer the urge to scratch with your action, and the itch goes away. But, if no ‘scratch’ existed, the existence of an itch would be meaningless. And, nothing exists without a purpose. Similarly, we think thirst comes first, and then water is the answer that satisfies thirst. But, if water did not exist first, why would thirst come into being? There would be no need for thirst without the existence of water. Our bodies need water to survive, and it is this need that causes thirst to arise. It is the same for every need we have. When we are created, we are created with needs that must be fulfilled in order to live full and happy lives. And, whatever is necessary to satisfy those needs must already exist."
The grandfather paused for a few minutes while the boy thought about what his grandfather was saying.
“Do you now see that if the answer did not already exist, the question could be resolved with any answer at all?” the grandfather continued. “This is why I tell you that you own the answer and you own the question. They are yours and yours alone. They are created together and cannot be separated. When you borrow an answer, it does not truly match your question, so it will not satisfy you.”
“But, what if there is no answer to your question?” the boy asked.
“If that were the case,” the grandfather replied. “What caused the question to arise?”
The boy was looking more confused.
“Maybe I should go back to the question of the two wolves, and talk to you about them for a while.”
“That would be great!” the boy said with enthusiasm, hoping that would make more sense to him.
Who Am I
“Let’s start at the beginning. Where do you think you came from?” the grandfather asked the boy.
“Uhh…” the boy was caught off guard. “I thought you were going to tell me about the two wolves. These, at least, I was beginning to understand a little bit.”
“Good. Tell me about where you think they came from.”
The boy thought about that for a while, then started to work it out. “Well, I guess they came from me.”
“Ok. But, where did you come from?”
“I don’t know” the boy answered.
“Let’s try this” the grandfather altered course a bit. “Let’s say you are the answer to a question. What do think the question is to which you are the answer?”
The boy sat up straighter and smiled. He knew the answer. “Who am I?”
And that made the grandfather laugh. “Good.”
“And, that means that the question is, ‘Who am I?’ and the answer is, ‘I am’!” The boy was excited. Then, after a pause, the boy went on “But, now, I guess, I want to know more about me.”
“And we’re off…” the grandfather chuckled, and slapped his knee.
***
