Why do you relate to the wolf?
Shit... why do you always ask hard questions bud, OK... I'm going to get real.
So as a kid, I liked wolves for the same reason a lot of kids do.... they were cool as fuck. They were the loner animal. Strong, dangerous, independent, surviving out in the wild on their own terms.
Then I had Hodgkin’s disease as a teenager and I think my relationship with the idea of the wolf changed a little. I felt isolated a lot after that. I felt resentful even. Different. More inside my own head. So the “loner wolf” thing became less about “that animal is badass” and more like “maybe I can still be okay even if I feel painfully alone.” There kind of helped me get through those hard times.
What’s funny is that as I got older and actually learned more about wolves, I realized most of what we thought about them for years was wrong, REALLY WRONG. The whole “alpha wolf lone dominance” thing mostly came from stressed captive wolves, not real wild behavior. Real wolves are social as hell. They’re family animals. Cooperative. Protective. Emotional. They raise young together, grieve, play, travel as a pack.
And honestly? I think that made me love them even more.
Because at this point in my life, I don’t actually think I’m a true loner. I just think I’m somebody who’s always felt a little wild and a little out of place, while still deeply needing and wanting connection, community and acceptance. That feels a lot closer to what wolves actually are.
Also... I still agree with child me... they are still cool as fuck lol.
