In 1828, New York Senator William L. Marcy uttered a phrase that described what he saw going on with political cronyism and nepotism leading to a small number of people benefiting from this unhealthy and unethical behavior. He said, “to the victor belong the spoils”. In his day and ours, the victors of any contest do not only win that contest, but they gain even more from contract bonuses and endorsement deals worth more than the winnings from the actual event. Likewise, we see small numbers of people benefiting from preferential treatment in contracting and in some political appointments. Insider trading, backroom deals, lobbying, dark money payments to political candidates are all bets by the givers that if they are victorious then they will reap far more than they have sowed.

The battle between ethical and unethical behavior in public spaces is as old as humanity. All of the sacred religious texts that I have read point to the challenge of living in the world while not being of the world. We are to live within our means and share from whatever excess we have to help others who have not been so fortunate. Cheating of any kind is to be avoided because it doesn’t create a healthy and trustworthy world. People who resort to unfair and unjust practices so that they can win and obtain more spoils are operating from a mindset of scarcity and fear.

An old tale is told by writer Wendy Mass in her book entitled, “Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life”. In it she describes this battle and predicts which force will ultimately prevail. She writes, “…’A fight is going on inside me,’ said an old man to his son. ‘It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf is evil; he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other wolf is good; he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you.’ The son thought about it for a minute and then asked, ‘Which wolf will win?’ The old man replied simply, ‘The one you feed….’” The blessed assurance that we have as beloved children of God is that God understands the fight that is going on within us and between us. All sacred texts and teachings of many religious leaders point to the battle between good and evil as the ultimate struggle in our lives. Which “wolf” will be victorious and get the spoils? Sacred texts and religion at its best point to feeding the “wolf” that is good and starving off the “wolf” that is evil. We cannot do this alone, we need God’s help and we need the support of others who are following the angels of our better natures.

Which wolf are you feeding? We see the wolf of division, mistrust, fearmongering, envy, greed, false pride, ego and inferiority being fed on our screens every day. We see people of the evil wolf believing that they are right in what they are doing and in what ideals they support. We hear people say that as long as they win and get the spoils it doesn’t matter how they fight. This is characterized by some media outlets as “Alpha male” behavior, is seen in a positive light and is thus promoted repeatedly throughout the broadcasts. However, it is not what we are taught about building strong, caring and resilient communities, and many folks are beginning to understand what is going on and choosing a different path. They are choosing the path of joy, peace, love, hope, etc – they are choosing to create a path to victory where all share in the spoils.

If you are tired of feeding the wolf of negativity and scarcity, then I invite you to come to a faith community this week. There you will find people fighting the good fight that leads to support for others and for equity and social justice. There they are struggling to feed the hopes and dreams of each other to create beloved community – a place where all can thrive. We control to which victor will get the spoils. I hope you will join me in feeding the wolf of hope, peace, joy and love. Blessings for your journey!

The Rev. Albrant is pastor of Mineral and Mount Pleasant United Methodist churches.