THE 100TH MONKEY

The 100^th Monkey.   (One At A Time)

A Fable or Metaphor told by one Dr. Lyall Watson tells us of…

The Japanese monkey, Macaca Fuscata, who had been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years.

In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkey liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant.

An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers too.

This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists. Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable. Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes.

Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes -- the exact number is not known. Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes. Let's further suppose that later that morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes.

THEN IT HAPPENED! 

By that evening almost all the monkeys in the tribe were washing sweet potatoes before eating them. The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough!

THE GENERATIONAL GAP.

When I first read this story it was attributed to soul winning (one at a time) to expand the Kingdom of our Creator and Maker, but I believe this can be applied in all spheres of human life to propagate new ideologies and habits that can transform the individual for the betterment of society.

I would want us to pick a few lessons from this fable which I believe are very relevant to our societies especially the African societies we live in. From the fable we read that the monkeys liked the sweet potatoes but found it unpleasant because of the dirt. The first to have learnt the trick of washing the potatoes was an 18 month monkey; she taught her mother and her playmates, who also taught the mothers. We can learn that the mothers did not look at the fact their children were young and as such were inexperienced and do not qualify to teach them but they humbly learnt and also taught their colleague mothers.

AT THE HOME

In most homes; especially in Africa young people are not allowed to freely express their views or even teach or correct the elderly when they go wrong. The young ones are always expected to take what their parents tell them without questions, but in the above fable we see the reverse, where the mothers learnt what their children taught them without complain or prejudice against the young monkeys. It was only the adults who imitated their children enjoyed the palatable potatoes. What I did not understand was the fact that some adults kept eating the dirty potatoes. Does that mean they were adamant to the change or the new skill taught by children? Was it because the skill was been taught by the younger ones? Would they have adapted to this change if the new skill of potato washing was taught by other adults?

AT THE OFFICE

What normally goes in the homes between adults and the youth is not different from what transpires in most African offices or work places. Comments such as, “who does he think he is?”, “what does he think he knows?”, “when did he come, to teach us what to do?”, and so on are very common in most offices where there are many old folks who have worked for a number years but somewhere along the line a young man was brought in to head the department or the entire organization. This enthusiastic young man wants to bring some modern changes to move the department or organization forward to make it more competitive.

However, the old folks are adamant to change, they are not ready to succumb to any young leader. I would classify these old folks as the adult monkeys who kept eating the dirty potatoes even though there was a new skill of washing the dirty potatoes to make more palatable. When the 18 month old monkey brought a cultural innovation of washing sandy potatoes it was picked up by various monkeys both young and old and this influence spread far and wide like a bush fire in the harmattan season.

A change that would bring a social improvement in the lives of people should be embraced by all irrespective of who is bringing the change. An 18 month old monkey brought about a change that became a habit of the Koshima monkeys and this has become part of their way of life. This was because every monkey both young and old learned the new skill one monkey at a time.

In my concluding words, I would like call on all who sit on the fence and swear that change cannot come because of the popular phrase “that’s how we do it here”, should clean their spectacles, rub and open their eyes wide for change would surely come in every corner of their neighborhood. Even though it will tarry, it will surely come.

John Benjamin Eshun © 2011

La bousculade

 Pourquoi cette bousculade !

Pourquoi tous les hommes sont pressés comme ça !

Où vont-ils ?

Pourquoi tous les hommes sont-ils très occupés !

Qu’est-ce qu’ils font ?

Après toute cette bousculade

Qu’est-ce qu’ils gagneront ?

THE TUNNEL OF LIFE

When I look through the tunnel

I see no light, no future at the end of the tunnel

I become disappointed and lose hope

I want to give up

But! I must persevere

For perseverance shall win the race

For greater works are not by strength

But by perseverance

I must go on and persevere

And light the end of the tunnel

Make bright the end

For successors are close behind!

IN THE MOMENT OF EXCITEMENT.

T

he story is told of an old poor woman by name Susuka who lived with her only son Abrefa somewhere in the Eastern region of Ghana. No one really knew where the relatives of this woman were. Her only son was a brilliant footballer and was known far and near. His presence in a team really scared their opponents. His feet on the ball were like a magnet attracting magnetic objects. He was very skillful on the field of play especially in the forward line and was a thorn in the flesh of their opponents.

He was really a “cash cow” for many of the towns folks especially his school teachers who were constantly betting on his goal scoring prowess. He scored a goal or more in every match he featured in. The sad story is; this boy never enjoyed or benefitted from the fortunes people made from him neither did his poor mother.

However luck was on his side, a team was moving from region to region in Ghana scouting for talented young footballers to participate in a tournament in the capital town of Mali (Bamako) in West Africa. Abrefa gained selection into the team that was to travel to Bamako-Mali for the tournament. The date for their departure was to be communicated to them later.

When news of Abrefa’s selection got to Susuka, she couldn’t hide her joy and excitement. The next thing anyone could hear was that Susuka was in church as she was a committed Christian and worked hard in the church Sunday after Sunday. She testified and danced energetically to the admiration of some members of the congregation and the raising of eyebrows and a feeling of jealousy among others. As if that was not enough, every member of Susuka’s neighborhood got the news of Abrefa’s selection into a team to play his football outside Ghana.

Nonetheless, the joy of Susuka and Abrefa did not last. On the day of departure, when Abrefa arrived at the designated point of departure he had the shock of his life, he was told he has been replaced by another player for arriving late.  What a sad day for Abrefa who wept bitterly and uncontrollably and did not eat for days.

After pondering over Abrefa’s incident, a couple of questions flooded my mind, but what really caught my attention was; “who do we talk to when we are excited?”, “how do we express our joy?”, “do we do it to the anger and jealousy of our neighbors or in a manner that brings joy to us and our neighbors such that there is no bitter feeling from on lookers”. This story brings to mind the fact that not everyone must hear of your good news because you do not know the heart of the one you are telling your good news.

This story also reminds me of a King in the Bible by name Hezekiah  who was so excited because God had answered his prayers that he revealed to some people sent to him by the King of Babylon all the treasures in his palace. The Prophet Isaiah later made it known to him that in the near future all his treasures and even his sons would be carried away to Babylon because he (the King) did not hold his peace but revealed to strangers the treasures in his palace.

Excitement! Excitement! I have been thinking about this word which is not only a stirring up of a happy feeling but also of anger, disgust and rebellion. How do we behave when we are excited? Do we open our mouth wide and spew out our secrets and good news regardless of where we are or who we are with? Excitement can really make one reveal all his most treasured secrets which may be keys for a successful future adventure. There is therefore the need for self control when excited if not our word in time of excitement can ensnare or trap us. Obliviously Susuka did not control her tongue when she was excited and she paid dearly by cutting short the dream of Abrefa or what looked like a better bright future for his son. Yes! She had good news but was the time right for her to over jubilate? Couldn’t she have waited for her son to finally leave the shores of the country before sounding the trumpet and making merry?

 In Psalm 39:1 the writer says “I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me”. A bridle is a set of straps put around a horse’s head and mouth so that the person riding or driving the horse can control it. This scripture admonishes us not to complain to people even though we have every reason to. Our complains to people would make them think our God cannot take care of us.

In a nutshell this verse is advising us control our tongue whether in a happy mood or we are bitter, because whatever we say during such moments can either go in our favor or against us.

BATTLE FOR CONTROL

M

ost often when you conceive a new idea, it is very difficult for that idea to gain grounds in your mind. The new idea or thought has to fight with the old idea which has gained grounds and is deeply rooted in the mind. It is therefore very difficult at times for one to carry out a new plan or initiate any new plan conceived in the mind because the new idea must first of all fight to win the battle in the mind and gain grounds and be deeply rooted, that is to say it must overcome the old idea before it can gain consideration.

When you indulge in any act that is contrary to your views/values, you would be seriously criticized in your mind. This is because you have allowed the flow of a contrary thought into your mind. This sets the battle for control and supremacy in motion in the mind.

The life of a man is the outcome of the thoughts or ideas that gained grounds and matured over time. I believe you can never become what you have never thought of or imagined. What we become in life invariably is that mental picture we created and watched it day and night and prayed that picture into being. When you ask little children what they want to become in future, they talk of wide range of careers and professions. This is because most often they might have seen someone in a particular professional uniform they admire. For example, most little girls talk of being nurses in the future because they might have gone to a health post and seen a nurse in a neatly dressed ironed green and white uniform.  The image of that nurse imprints on their minds, therefore whenever you ask what they would want to become in future they don’t hesitate to say “I want to become a nurse”.

However, when people do not have mastery over their minds, they have no control of their minds; other people may dictate for such people just like little children who mostly do not grow to become what they wished of becoming during their childhood days. This is due to the fact that their parents direct the affairs of the lives of these little ones and therefore play the role of the minds of these little ones.

In the same vein, when these children grow with these mental childhood pictures, these pictures gain grounds in their minds. When this happens one is able to work toward becoming that picture in the mind.

We can have control of our lives if we have control over our minds.

THE BATTLEFIELD

On the battlefield, the battle line is drawn

Opposing forces seek victory here

They seek dominance over their opponent

They show their prowess and bravery

This is where the battle is won and lost

The stronger force wins

The weaker force loses

The winner rules

The loser becomes slave

The battlefield drinks the blood of brave men and cowards

Becomes the homes of rodents and wild birds

Is the most injured

But does not take part in the battle

Becomes, a field with streams of blood of men

A desolate land

A place of decision!

WHEN I SAW YOU

The first time I saw you

My heart melted within me

My limbs froze

The hairs on my skin stood erect

My eyeballs were still

My mind went blank

I lost my memory all of a sudden

And became dump

With my mouth wide open

The world around me became dead

Nothing in it was alive

Only one being was

And that was you