……………………..MONKEY BUSINESS
There once was a rhesus monkey who was put into a special cage.
This cage had red, yellow and green squares. After several days, an “experimenter” set it up so that the red squares gave off intermittent shocks causing the monkey much pain. The monkey became anxious but soon learned to avoid the red square. Next, the experimenter caused the red and yellow squares to give off intermittent shocks, and the monkey acted as if he was a manic depressive, alternating from hyper-anxiety to depression and withdrawal. The monkey soon learned to avoid the red and yellow squares and then all the squares were electrified. The little monkey began to bite itself, beat its head against the bars and defecated on himself. You might say the little monkey had been driven crazy. This experiment took one month. He was then transferred to a second cage with a white floor. Soft music was played, he was touched and held and fed. Within a short time, he calmed down and within two weeks he was playful and exploring his cage. He could not be seen as different from a monkey from a rhesus population that had not been subjected to the experiment. Well, what do you expect from a dumb monkey? He’s not as smart as a man. He didn’t know how to hold onto the past forever, nor continue to anticipate disaster. He only knew how to adapt to changing circumstances. When he was put back into the first cage, he was anxious for two days, but, after assuring himself there were no shocks, he began to be as playful in that cage, too.
Well, as I’ve pointed out, monkeys aren’t as smart as men. Maybe just smarter than rose bushes.
If, as you read the above meta-eights-a metaphor within a metaphor within a metaphor-you found yourself thinking, remembering, connecting, seeking, and understanding, it was only intended. To understand a metaphor, you must, in most cases, go into your own history, remember those situations that look similar and remember those words …
But there’s “know” such thing as hypnosis.
Great stuff ~ stories are so powerfull, yet usually so gentle and places of great learning if only we take the time to listen and then listen hear inside for the answers that have always been there.
Paul
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