Feed the right inner wolf

An elderly grandfather is telling his grandson a story. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said. ”It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil — he is anger, envy, greed, arrogance, resentment, lies, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good — he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The wolves are fighting to the death. Wide-eyed, the boy asks his grandfather which wolf will win. The grandfather simply replied, “The one you feed.”

It’s important for us to keep up with the facts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic so that we can position ourselves to provide the best care for our patients while keeping ourselves and our families safe. At the same time, we must balance this sobering news with a steady diet of stories that are uplifting. One source of such stories is KarunaVirus.org. From the website: “Times are tough. Many are struggling. Everything feels uncertain, and with that, fear is in the air. Increased stress weakens our immunity, which can leave us even more worried. To step out of this vicious loop, enter KarunaVirus. Sounds like Corona, but it's even more contagious. :) It's the Sanskrit word for compassion. Good news, uplifting stories, goose-bump-raising videos, inspiring ideas. Scientists call it cognitive reframing, but we just call it love. A new story. The intent behind KarunaVirus.org is to amplify the voice of our collective compassion -- by featuring news of everyday people choosing love over fear. We feel that the acts of courageous kindness we're seeing all over the world will far outlive the virus, and if enough of us keep it front and center of our consciousness, it could well bring new possibilities for our future.” Enjoy, and thanks to Aman Sethi, Urology, DSA, and Regional Director of Wellness Operations, for bringing this good news story to my attention.

Recent Karunavirus.org stories (clockwise from top right): Vanderbilt nurses praying for patients on a rooftop helicopter pad; deputy sheriffs grocery shopping for the elderly; children using their “tooth fairy” money to buy toilet paper for struggling pensioners; and a doctor taking to the streets to meet people where they are in their time of need.