The Aging Monkey Man And The World He Lives In

The Monkey Man was up rather early this morning pondering and discussing with Mrs. Monkey how much the world has changed since he was a young chimp.

As a small chimp, the Monkey Man remembers hearing the elder chimps talk of a simpler time. He didn't really know what that meant, but as he was lay in bed pondering, the meaning became a little clearer. There have been a lot of technological advances during the Monkey Man's life including home computers, video games, cell phones, microwaves, and many other luxuries that today's chimps along with the Monkey Man enjoy. Does the Monkey Man think these inventions, that make our lives easier, have contributed both positively and negatively to society? Absolutely!

While contemplating on how different the world is today, a few thing stood out to the Monkey Man. There are many influences on today's chimps that have seemed to deteriorate the attitudes and quality of life for today's chimps. When the Monkey Man was growing up, the television and movies he watched was full of shows that were less violent, less sexual and less graphic than today's programming. Does the Monkey Man think this has played a role in the attitude of the chimp populace? Absolutely!

Another influence the Monkey Man was contemplating is the lack of involvement between young chimps and their elders. The Monkey Man thought of how involved his parents were in his life.
They knew the chimps he played with.
They knew the parents of the chimps he played with.
They knew what he was doing and how he was doing in school.
They weren't afraid to let the Monkey Man know when he was not behaving appropriately. They taught him how to be a good chimp. This didn't mean the Monkey Man always acted appropriately, in fact he often showed how curious and mischievous he was, but one thing stood out, he didn't want to disappoint the elder chimps.
The Monkey Man started thinking about how today's chimps behave. Many of them have little interaction with their parents. They are left to tend to themselves or rely on other young chimps to care for them while both mother and father chimp are at work, trying to earn the means to pay for all of lives amenities. Trying to keep up with the other chimp families. Trying to survive in a world of economic insecurity, greed, and desire. Does the Monkey Man think the lack of involvement on the part of parent chimps play a role in the deterioration of society? Absolutely

The Monkey Man began to wonder if he was turning into one of the elder chimps of yesterday, always talking of living in a simpler time. The Monkey Man may be getting a bit older, but he is also getting a bit wiser. He knows the world isn't going to go back to a time that is simpler. He does want to make the monkey world a better place. One where he makes a conscious decision to improve the jungle around him and to help the other chimps in the worldwide troop. The Monkey Man would like to share his wisdom with you by encouraging you to make a difference in the life of the chimps around you. He would like you to go out every day and do one act of kindness, whether big or small, that will make the world a better place not only for you, but for all the chimps in the jungle.

Bad Monkey and Learning to Juggling

The monkey man has not been good at posting lately, but with spring time upon us, it is a time for renewal and recommitment! Instead of dwelling on the monkey man being a bad monkey and not updating the blog, let's think about finding balance or something else.....

Today's thought comes from a discussion the monkey man was having with his cousin chimp. The monkey man was talking about how he likes to find balance in things and many times it is hard to find that balance. The wise cousin chimp then reminded the monkey man that "if you can't find balance, learn to juggle."

Isn't it great to have a sage around to share such wise words?

The Monkey Man's Christmas

The Monkey Man had one of the best Christmas Holidays of his life and it was all due to the amazing monkey troop.

One of the older chimps called all the troop together for a brief meeting on Christmas Eve morning. The purpose of the meeting was to see if the troop wanted to pitch in on a gift for the Monkey Man. This special gift was to be something special the Monkey Man has always longed to have, but could never bring himself to get for himself. The older chimp told the other monkeys to contribute what they could, and he would take care of the rest. The youngest monkey said, "but I only have a dollar". The older monkey replied that if that is all they had and could contribute, that would be sufficient. With the monkeys in agreement, Mrs. Monkey Man did the shopping.

Christmas Day arrived and the monkeys in the troop were very excited. There was a lot of chatter as one of the monkeys brought out the main gift.....an electric guitar. The monkeys all giggled as they said, "but there is more...." and another monkey brought out an amplifier. The chatter continued with "but there is more...." and yet another monkey brought out a cord for the guitar. "But there is more..." was the chant repeated again and again as the chimps in the troop brought out additional pieces of the perfect gift, an electronic tuner, picks, a guitar strap, and a guitar book. The Monkey Man was nearly in tears at the thoughtfulness of the troop.

The Monkey Man now has the challenge of learning how to play this wonderful gift. That is his New Years Resolution!

The Monkey Man thanks the Monkey Troop for their love and giving nature! You all are truly the best!