THE PARABLE OF THE MONKEYS AND A LADDER

A group of scientists placed 5 monkeys in a cage and in the middle, a ladder with bananas on top.
Everytime a monkey went up the ladder, the scientists soaked the rest of the monkeys with cold water. After a while,
everytime a monkey went up the ladder, the others beat up the one on the ladder in spite of the absence of the cold shower.
After some time, no monkey dared to go up the ladder regardless of the temptation.
Scientists then decided to substitute one of the monkeys. The 1st thing this new monkey did was to go up the ladder. Immediately, the other monkeys beat him up. After several beatings, the new member learned not to climb the ladder even though it never knew why.

A 2nd monkey was substituted and the same occurred. The 1st monkey participated in the beating for the 2nd monkey. A 3rd monkey was changed and the same was repeated (beating). The 4th was substituted and the beating was repeated and finally the 5th monkey was replaced.
What was left was a group of 5 monkeys that even though never received a cold shower, continued to beat up any monkey who attempted to climb the ladder.
If it was possible to ask the monkeys why they would beat up all those who attempted to go up the ladder, I bet the answer would be...
"I don't know - that's how things are done around here."
Does this sound familiar?

why do you what you do? Some of the time, you need to take a chill pill and take stock of the reasons for your actions and habits.
So many of us do things not because there is a sane reason for them or because there is a good rational to do them. Listed below are reasons why we act the way we do:



1. Everybody is doing it. The Gadarene Swine Fallacy is the fallacy of supposing that because a group is in the right formation, it is necessarily on the right course; and conversely, of supposing that because an individual has strayed from the group and isn't' in formation, that he is off course. The individual may seem lost to the group but not off course to an ideal observer. The benefit with going with the crowd is the advantage with being 'politically correct' and the improbability of isolation and loosing friends. However, when the mob comes against the Calvary, disasters are bound to occur.

2. This is the way we have always done it. Traditions! Traditions!! Traditions!!! Traditions is a belief or behaviour passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past.


Traditions are good but the pathology with traditions is that they do not take into cognisance the changing times and the need to adapt the times with the methods. An adage expresses the futility of doing things the same way and expecting a different result. Times change and so must methods. I always give the analogy of a maiden company who wants to compete in the corporate world today and decides to devote their budget for stationaries to the purchase of typewriters. Well, goodluck to such a company. But do you know that is what we do when we hold on to some archaic habits and thought patterns (irrespective of how irrelevant and crude) and at the same time still desire a change.
The challenge for us is that we need to question the status quo. We need to make a decision to always have that askance outlook: why are things as they are? Why do I act the way I do? Are there changes I could make that would present a better outlook and affect positively the way I live?
Then and only then are we assured of a better us and a better future. Selah!