In Jonathan Flaum’s allegorical tale “Finding Your Howl,” Flaum tells the story of wolves bred in captivity who are turned back into the wild. Being in the safe, nurturing world where “food was delivered rather than hunted,” when the wolves are released into the wild, they have forgotten their howl. All but one, Mumon, begin to live in fear and accept the lifestyle of a wolf without a howl. Mumon leaves the pack and descends deep into the wilderness to find himself, and coming across a deer, a crow, and a hunting farmer, Mumon finally regains his howl. In the end, he is reunited with the pack as its alpha wolf.
Flaum draws attention to natural instinct. In the story, although Mumon is bread in captivity, he knows that there is something embarrassing about being given food rather than hunting it. He feels it in his bones. As he speaks later to the deer, she asks who taught him to hunt, and he says no one: he just knows. His instincts override the nurturing that has been done to make him fear the world and become useless in his awe. Similarly, we as humans are nurtured by our families and brought into the world with the safety of our parents’ protection. Once we leave home, or are “released into the wild,” it is easy to become lazy with our goals. The natural instinct we feel to grow and change may be outweighed by safer, more familiar settings. Yet when one has become completely at peace in a world of outside of their comfort zone, the reality of freedom sets in and reversal becomes impossible and highly undesirable.
Listen as I talk about The Morning Benders' song, "Excuses,"then watch the recording session:
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