You could be the 100th monkey

The way you live your life could inspire others and cause a ripple effect that leads to a complete cultural shift. Believe it.

For many, it’s hard to look at the world these days and not see a gigantic battle between the forces of good and evil. Many days it feels like evil is winning, and that can dim the light that flickers in each of our souls.

But it’s important to remember we are not powerless. Each of us can make a difference. Even small actions can have huge impacts just as inaction — choosing to do nothing — can also have an impact.

This makes the concept of the "100th monkey" a compelling metaphor for the cumulative power of individual actions. The notion suggests that when a critical mass of individuals adopts a new idea or behavior, a cultural shift can occur. It highlights the importance of staying the course, as any one individual could potentially be the catalyst for significant change.

It’s a critical notion as we set our eyes on the new year — which promises to be even more unstable than the last one. Possibly even chaotic.

A monkey named Imo

The 100th monkey phenomenon originates from a study of a group of wild macaques living on several islands in Japan in the 1950s. Researchers had been observing the troops for years and at one stage started leaving foods such as sweet potatoes and wheat in open areas on the islands. They soon noticed the monkeys responding with innovative forms of behavior.

One young monkey named Imo discovered that the sand and grit that collected on the skins of the sweet potatoes could be washed off in a stream or in the ocean. She showed this new trick to her mother and to some other young monkeys she interacted with. Eventually, most of the younger monkeys adopted the behavior, while there were still some holdouts among the older animals.

After a few years, potato washing had caught on with all the monkeys and even spontaneously spread to groups on nearby islands. This tipping point, often referred to as the 100th monkey, symbolizes the idea that a critical mass had been reached, leading to collective adoption of a behavior or belief.

As one researcher explained:

As near as I can tell, this is what seems to have happened. In the autumn of that year [1958] an unspecified number of monkeys on Koshima were washing sweet potatoes in the sea. . . . Let us say, for argument's sake, that the number was 99 and that at 11 o'clock on a Tuesday morning, one further convert was added to the fold in the usual way. But the addition of the 100th monkey apparently carried the number across some sort of threshold, pushing it through a kind of critical mass, because by that evening almost everyone was doing it. Not only that, but the habit seems to have jumped natural barriers and to have appeared spontaneously, like glycerine crystals in sealed laboratory jars, in colonies on other islands and on the mainland in a troop at Takasakiyama.

A sort of group consciousness had developed, all of a sudden, among the monkeys, as a result of one last monkey learning how to wash a sweet potato.

Some people have debunked the researchers conclusions, but the metaphorical idea still stands: our words and actions can be contagious. How you choose to live your life could inspire others to embark on a similar journey. Who knows whether your actions, like Imo’s, may lead to a ripple effect that causes a complete cultural shift?

The 100th monkey phenomenon reminds us that our actions and words matter. Each person who chooses truthful words over lies or courageous acts over cowardice is vital to creating a better world. By being a beacon of truth, you could trigger a cascade effect that transforms society. You could be the tipping point for positive change.

So, as we face the unknown unknowns of 2024, remember this: you could be the 100th monkey who tips the scales for the side of good.

Happy New Year, everyone.

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