Italo Calvino on the Inferno and Suffering

“The inferno of the living is not something that will be; if there is one, it is what is already here, the inferno where we live every day, that we form by being together. There are two ways to escape suffering it. The first is easy for many: accept the inferno and become such a part of it that you can no longer see it. The second is risky and demands constant vigilance and apprehension: seek and learn to recognize who and what, in the midst of inferno, are not inferno, then make them endure, give them space.”

Italo Calvino

Battle of the Wolves

One evening an old Comanche told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said,

My Son, there is a battle between two Wolves living inside us all.

One wolf is evil. It is anger, fear, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret. It is greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, and ego.

The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, perseverance, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

The Grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather,

Which Wolf wins?

The old Comanche replied simply,

The one you feed.