17 Dec ZIMBROS – 14 DECEMBER 2017 – MONKEY BUSINESS

Monkey Business

We haven’t left for Florianopolis today either. We run too much. What are we, criminals? We run like crazy and follow rules nobody understands but everybody follows.

We are like monkeys and I will prove it. I will prove it for real. I will start by telling you of an experiment that American psychologist Harry Harlow made on monkeys in the ‘30’s.

This guy put 5 monkeys in a cage. In the middle of the cage a ladder and at the top of the ladder a bunch of bananas. When one monkey would climb the ladder to get a banana mr Harry “Potter” Harlow threw a bucket of cold water over the monkeys below. After a while, when a monkey would attempt to climb the ladder, the other monkeys would’t let her anymore. After some more time, no monkey tried anymore to climb the ladder despite the attraction of the bananas.

Then Mr Harry changed one of the monkeys. The first thing the new monkey did was to climb the ladder, but the others pulled her down and beat her. After a few beatings, no member of the new group would try to climb the ladder. A second monkey was replaced and the same pattern occurred. Then the third , fourth and fifth were replaced and the same thing happened every time. In the end, the scientists had five monkeys that, although had never received the cold water treatment, continued to hit the monkey that would try to take the bananas.

Now let’s leave the experiment aside for a little and go to an experiment in real life.

About 4 months ago Carla’s passport expired. We were in Paraguay. We were trying to the Romanian Consulate in Asuncion when we find out that it’s temporarily inactive and a honorific consulate anyway.

That means that a consulate is more of a PR thing, they don’t take care of real problems of people, travelers or not. Late, I say late because we already were in Ciudad del Este, we received an answer from the Ministry of External Affairs, a very nice answer, in which we were told that if we hadn’t solved the problem meantime, they can arrange a special team for us at another embassy to receive the data of the child.

Anyway, we get to the Paraguayan border with Argentine, we give the passports to the clerk that looks awkward and says:

“Mister, the passport is expired, I can’t let the child pass”

I explain the situation to him, that we are permanent tourists, that we are a family and we want to visit Iguazu falls together. “The child is right here, real, you can see her, she didn’t expire! Can’t you understand the situation and let us pass?”

He answered smiling and heartfelt that he understands the situation perfectly, he is a father himself of three healthy and beautiful children. If he could, he would help us happily, but he can’t.

I asked why.

“Well, because the system won’t let me, when I scan the passport and it turns red, I can’t press enter because the system doesn’t allow, not because I don’t want to!”

That means that two people standing in front of each other understand each other. After all, they live, they don’t hibernate, it happens live to them also!

Maybe we can change to be the change we want to see in the world, but what about the system, what can we do about the system?

You see now that we are monkeys?

You see how the system “won’t allow” us?

I remember a commercial that said “dogs feel people, what do people feel”?

***

N-am plecat nici astazi la Florianopolis. Prea fugim! Pai ce, suntem infractori?! Fugim de nebuni sa respectam reguli pe care nu le mai intelege nimeni dar toata lumea le respecta. Suntem niste maimute asta suntem si o sa si demonstrez, la modul cel mai practic si concret.

O sa incep prin a va povesti unul din experimentele pe care psihologul american Harry Harlow le facea pe maimute prin anii ’30.

Nenea asta a pus intr-o cusca cinci maimute. In mijlocul custii o scara, iar deasupra scarii o legatura de banane.

Cand o maimuta se urca pe scara sa ia banane, nenea Harry “Potter” Harlow arunca o galeata cu apa rece pe celelalte care ramaneau jos.

Dupa ceva timp, cand o maimuta incerca sa urce scarile, celelalte nu o lasau sa urce. Dupa mai mult timp nici o maimuta nu se mai urca pe scara, in ciuda tentatiei bananelor.

Atunci nenea Harry a inlocuit o maimuta. Primul lucru pe care l-a facut aceasta a fost sa se urce pe scara, dar a fost trasa inapoi de celelalte si batuta.

Dupa cateva batai nici un membru al noului grup nu se mai urca pe scara.

A fost inlocuita o a doua maimuta si s-a intamplat acelasi lucru. Prima maimuta inlocuita a participat cu entuziasm la baterea novicelui.

Un al treilea a fost schimbat si lucrurile s-au repetat.

Al patrulea si in fine al cincilea au fost schimbati.

In final, oamenii de stiinta au ramas cu cinci mainute care, desi nu primisera niciodata o baie cu apa rece, continuau sa loveasca maimutele care incercau sa ajunga la banane.

Acum lasam experimentul un pic deoparte si trecem la un experiment din viata reala.

Se face ca acum vreo 4 luni, ii expira pasaportul Carlei. Eram in Paraguay. Incercam noi sa ajungem la Consulatul Romaniei din Asuncion, cand descoperim ca e inactiv si oricum onorific. Adica consulatele sunt o chestie de PR, n-au treaba in a rezolva problemele reale ale oamenilor de rand, calatori permanenti sau nu. Tarziu, spun tarziu pentru ca deja eram in Ciudad del Este, primim raspuns de la Ministerul de Externe, foarte ok raspuns in care suntem anuntati ca daca nu am rezolvat problema, se poate organiza la una din ambasadele comunitatii, o echipa special pentru noi in a receptiona datele copilului.

In fine, ajungem noi la granita cu Argentina, dam pasapoartele, nenea vamesul se uita crucis si zice: – Domnule, este expirat pasaportul, nu-i pot da drumul fetitei.

Eu ii explic situatia, ca suntem turisti permanenti, ca suntem o familie, vrem sa vizitam cascada de la Iguazu impreuna.

Copilul este aici, real, il vedeti si el nu a expirat! Nu ne puteti intelege situatia si lasa sa trecem?

El mi-a raspuns zambind si din suflet, ca intelege perfect situatia si el la randu-i este tatal a 3 copii frumosi si sanatosi. Daca ar putea ne-ar ajuta cu drag, dar nu poate!

Am intrebat de ce!

Pai, nu ma lasa sistemul, pentru ca scanez pasaportul fetitei si e totul pe rosu, nu am cum sa dau accept, nu ca nu vreau! Chiar nu ma lasa sistemul!

Adica, oamenii fata in fata se inteleg, inteleg poate ca o situatie, cum sa nu o inteleaga! Doar traiesc si ei, nu hiberneaza, li se intampla viata si lor!

Dar sistemul, sistemul nu ne lasa! Pai cine este sistemul, oare nu esti tu si cu mine si cu celalalt?

Poate ca noi ne putem schimba precum schimbarea pe care vrem sa o vedem in lume, dar sistemul, ce facem cu sistemul?

Vedeti ca suntem maimute?

Vedeti cum “sistemul” nu ne lasa?

Oare este ok, oare cand vom renunta in a mai fi roboti, masini, calculatoare, oare cand vom incepe sa simtim?

Imi amintesc o reclama in care finalul spunea “… cainii simt oamenii, oamenii ce simt?