Mulligan the Monkey Do Do
Monkey See, Did you Step in Poo
(The scene is a quiet, sun-dappled garden. Charles, George, and Stephen are seated around a simple stone table. Sophia stands at its head, pouring tea.)
Sophia: Welcome, my friends. I’ve brought you here to unravel a thought. We all seek to navigate our path without stumbling. Charles, you’ve spent a lifetime observing the natural world. How does a creature first learn to avoid a blunder?
Charles: Through the sharp sting of consequence, Sophia. I once observed a monkey who, after indulging in strong spirits just once, developed a powerful aversion to them forever. The experience was so unpleasant that the lesson was immediate and permanent. In that simple, decisive act of learning, that creature demonstrated a wisdom that many a man, who repeats his follies endlessly, fails to grasp. The most fundamental wisdom is learning from a burn not to touch the fire again.
An American monkey, after getting drunk on brandy, would never touch it again, and thus is much wiser than most men.
— Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
George: That is indeed a crucial foundation, Charles. Learning from one’s own pain is the first step. But I believe we truly begin to ascend when we learn from each other. The most blessed and transformative wisdom comes not from a solitary, negative experience, but from the gentle, loving guidance of another soul. One person’s true affection can steer another away from a path of sorrow without them ever having to suffer the initial sting. It is a shared wisdom, a light passed from one heart to another, that truly enriches us.
Sophia: So, we learn from pain, and then we learn to prevent pain in others through connection. (She turns to Stephen) Stephen, your perspective is wider than most. You see our world from a great distance. Where do you see wisdom in our species?
Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another.
— George Eliot (1818-1890)
Stephen: I see it in our context. Let us be honest with ourselves. We are a slightly more sophisticated primate, living on a rather unremarkable planet orbiting a perfectly ordinary star. In the grand cosmic theatre, our stage is small. But—and this is the point that changes everything—we can look out into the vastness of that theatre and begin to comprehend its rules. We can understand the universe. That singular ability to reason, to question, to grasp the mechanics of reality on a scale so much larger than ourselves… that is what makes us extraordinary. Learning not to repeat a mistake is survival. Learning to love is community. But learning the why of the stars? That is transcendence.
Sophia: (Smiling warmly) And there we have it. The complete tapestry. You are all correct. Wisdom is not a single thread but a weaving of all three. We begin with the monkey’s lesson, Charles: the raw, instinctual knowledge gained from our missteps. We must learn not to step in the same mess twice.
We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.
— Stephen Hawking (1942-2018)
Then, we elevate that lesson through the heart, as you so beautifully described, George. We take our personal experiences and transform them into guidance and compassion, creating a bond of shared understanding that lifts everyone.
But it cannot end there. We do these things—we avoid folly and we love one another—so that we may have the peace and stability to do what you speak of, Stephen. We secure our footing on this minor planet so that we can free our minds to gaze outwards and understand the magnificent, improbable whole.
First, we learn from the mud. Then, we help others find a cleaner path. And finally, together, we look up and marvel at the stars, understanding our place among them. That is the full journey.
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