Social Self and the 8 monkeys

[Guest guest]

AC: Yes, 'i' and society are interdependent

concepts.

 

Society cultivates, sustains, maintains

and strengthens 'i'.

 

But, it is 'i' (or i's )that create and

sustain the society in the first place !

 

P: I beg to disagree, Arvind. Society

is older than any human concept, and

that humanity itself. We inherited society

from our primate ancestors. True, their

society was very rudimentary, but a

society, nevertheless. Even chimps groups

have their society of sorts, with their own

customs specific to a group.

 

I think it was Sandeep who a year or so

ago, mentioned an experiment with 8

monkeys in an electrified cage. A rope

was placed hanging from the ceiling, and

everytime any monkey climbed the rope

a brief electric charge was administered

to the cage. Of course, the monkey on the

rope was immune to the charge, but the

other seven felt the painful jolt.

 

After a few incidents, some monkeys realized

the connection between climbing the rope,

and the jolt. So, as soon as any monkey touched

the rope, those realizers monkeys beat the crap

out of the offender.

 

This practice of beating any monkey who touched

the rope became sort of a rule, and in a few

days no one dared touch the rope. Then one of the

monkeys was taken out, and replaced with an untrained monkey.

As soon as the new monkey learned the rule, another

animal from the original eight was taken out, and replaced

by another untrained monkey.

 

After a few weeks none of the original eight remained,

but the rule stood. None of the new monkeys knew

the reason for the rule, since no one dared climb the rope,

yet the rule was observed by the group week after week as monkeys

came and went. And so the story goes... whether true or not,

we can get a glimpse of ourselves in those monkeys. How

many rules do we observe just because humans long time dead

thought they served a purpose, with by now helps no one?

 

Pete

 

 

 

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