Theme: Clinging.
Know this:
(1) We cling to Material, people, faith, belief. But we feel insecure without even any one of them.
(2) Religions advise giving a substantial portion of your property in Charity. (We don’t do it).
(3) The people who take to spiritual path succeed in unclinging. Said in the other way, they give up whatever they cling to, consciously and happily.
(4)In the eastern religions, when one undertakes a pilgrimage to a holy place, he should invariably leave something. Unfortunately, it is reduced to a symbolic gesture instead of implementing it both in letter and spirit.
(5) What you should forsake should not be what you do not like, rather it should be what you hold on to.
Theme: Clinging.
Short Story 14
African Monkeys
Darwin considered we are the descendants of Monkeys. Going by the following story, we will strongly believe and accept that we are the true descendants of Monkeys.
I used to be feeling great about scientists who virtually live in forests under hostile living conditions researching various animal species.
When I read the following story, I realized that the motive behind these scientists need not be the love of the species. To study them was to enslave them.
Here is a true story involving monkeys.There are different types of monkeys living happily and enjoying their freedom in the jungles of Africa. These are in great demand in the countries world over.
They are caught and transported to various Zooparks, kept in cages for life.
Like other animals, they lose their freedom, are deprived of good food and are put to hostile weather alien to these animals.
In early times, mechanical devices called traps were deployed to capture moneys. The spring loaded mechanical gadget invariably caused injuries of varying degrees to the trapped animals. Often these injuries are not properly treated.
They were transported over long distances involving several days.
Significant number of injured animals die before reaching their destination.
Scientists researching on animals, worldwide conduct various experiments to study their behavior. One important finding is that a monkey Clings to whatever it gets hold of.The experiments consisted of specially designed bottles filled with peanuts. The bottle was designed with a narrow neck sufficient for a monkey’s hand to freely enter. But, when it closes its fist, the hand cannot come out.
These bottles were placed in the forest where monkeys frequented. Peanuts, which are the favorite food of the monkeys, were placed inside the narrow neck of the bottles.
The monkeys would not let go of the bottle after taking the peanuts in its hand. For hours on end, the monkeys would be stationary with the large bottle. They were caught, without any injury and exported.
We understand that all that the monkeys needed for their freedom was just to give up the peanuts they like so much.Even among the educated ones, affluent people refuse to climb down a small public office which they climb.
The evil traders around the globe made full use of this quality of monkeys in humans and exploited it to their advantage.
Most of us are enslaved to Coffee, Tea and Cigarettes which were given to our ancestors for free. They caught it and were enslaved.
In a way, I consider monkeys are better species than us. The reason being, unlike a single monkey being enslaved by its clinging, we human beings are enslaved generation after generation.
What ever is a peanut for monkeys, freebie is for us humans.
We will discuss the Freebie in a later page.