We can learn a lot from the animal world to understand the tensions of our everyday life, which strike as incomprehensible. Shall the following experiment be an example of how our habits are formed and why we have to reconsider them from time to time.
Let us take a cage with five monkeys in it. There is a banana hanging on a string in the cage. The banana in the cage can be reached only by climbing some stairs. Sooner or later one of the monkeys goes to the stairs and begins to climb for the banana. As it touches the first step, the other monkeys get a cold shower from a machinery. A bit later another tries to climb for the banana too. The result is the same for it. And it happens over again many times.
Not much later, when a monkey just attempts starting out to the stairs, the others try to cross even the attempt.
Now we can shut the water-tap off, so the banana becomes accessible without making the others wet. Still the banana stays in its place because none of them bold to attempt taking it off, or the others cross even the attempt.
One of the monkeys shall be replaced with a beginner. The new monkey notices the banana and immediately attempts climbing for it. The others naturally attack it immediately and do not let it near the stairs. When all its attempts end in failure because of the others’ attack, the new monkey scion gives up. Now we replace another old (experienced in the shower) monkey with a beginner. This newcomer attempts getting to the banana in a little while, but the other four attack him and keep it back from this. The previous newcomer also gladly participates in the attack. When the second newcomer also has given up, we shall replace the third monkey too. When it also attempts getting to the banana, of course the other four attack it too, though two of the offensive monkeys have no idea why they must not try to reach the banana.
After replacing the fourth, then the fifth monkey in the cage, none of the monkeys inside have any memories of the cold shower. They still do not try to go for the banana and they also do not let the new mates do it.
If the monkeys had been born humans then we certainly could ask ourselves why? The monkeys do not ask. The accept that it always has been this way, everybody does it this way. But people can ask. Most of them still do not ask. The communities usually receive it doubtingly if a newcomer ask about the reasons of the habits of the every days for all that. This is why we can experience that in spite of its large capital, a big enterprise cannot react upon changes so fast as a small enterprise with a few employees which is free from routine. This is why it seems so impossible to set the state bureaucracy to the requirements of the changing life. This is why it is hard to find supporters for the new things in sciences, economy, politics and culture.
Though the people may originate from monkeys but the humanity’s past, present and future is determined by its relation to changes. A lot depend on whether we keep letting those be attacked or kept back even by the means of power, who are doubtful about that it is impossible to do it better, who ask and also do something for making it better.
