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Five Monkeys
Start with a cage containing five monkeys Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string
and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs
and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, all of the
monkeys are sprayed with cold water. After a while another monkey makes an attempt
with the same result, all the monkeys are sprayed with cold water.
Pretty soon, none of the monkeys will try and climb the stairs.
Now put away the cold water, remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one.
The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs, to his surprise and horror
all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows
that if he tries to climb the stairs he will be assaulted.
Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one.
The new comer goes to the stairs and is attacked, the previous new comer takes part in the punishment
with enthusiasm. Likewise, replace a third original monkey
with a new one, then a forth, then a fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the
stairs he is attacked. Most of the monkeys that are beating him have
no idea why they we're not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in
the beating of the newest monkey. After replacing all of the original monkeys,
none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water, nevertheless no monkey
ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana.
Why not? Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been done around here.