TTFTD: ritual cat
 

When the spiritual teacher and his disciples began their evening meditation, the cat who lived in the monastery made such noise that it distracted them. So the teacher ordered that the cat be tied up during the evening practice. Years later, when the teacher died, the cat continued to be tied up during the meditation session. And when the cat eventually died, another cat was brought to the monastery and tied up. Centuries later, learned descendants of the spiritual teacher wrote scholarly treatises about the religious significance of tying up a cat for meditation practice.

Does this have any parallels w/ why some cultures began sacrificing virgins? :)

Funny in a pseudo zen sort of way.


In some monasteries however, it would get "the sound of one hand clapping". (aka: a slap around the head)

Related story (an experiment from some sick university, iirc), same theme:
Batch of a dozen or so monkeys. Bananas hanging from ceiling, with nearby large rope. Monkeys being monkeys, one climbed the rope to go for the bananas. As a result, all the monkeys were punished -- fire hoses, iirc. It only took once or twice before any monkey who tried to climb for the bananas got drug off the rope by the other monkeys, who didn't feel like getting punished.

Then they started swapping out monkeys. The new monkey, inevitably, would try to climb, but be dragged down by the others. Eventually, they swapped out all the monkeys, so none of the monkeys actually in the cage had been group-punished. Still, they'd beat down anyone who tried to climb for the prize.

Laugh and say "stupid monkeys," then realize that humans do the same thing. lol :)

Dan

djmcmath, I believe that is referred to as social conditioning.

yes. a favorite tactic of the left. as soon as anyone tries to get ahead, drag them down to the lowest common denominator and berate them for wanting to better themselves

Left? You have just perfectly described the reactionary right's resistance to social progress.