Thursday, April 9, 2009

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.

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