Do you know what this is?
It’s a monkey trap from West Africa, made of clay. When I acquired the clay pot, a rope was attached to its neck. Hunters used to stake the other end of the rope to the ground, and bait it with fruit or nuts. A monkey would smell the food, reach inside, and grab a handful.
The hole was large enough for a monkey’s open hand to pass through, but too small for a balled fist to come out. As hard as the monkey pulled, it couldn’t escape, because it never occurred to the greedy monkey to let go of the food.
Monkeys repeatedly fell victim to this, because they refused to drop the food, even as the hunter approached.
This is often told as a parable denouncing greed, or as a cautionary tale against becoming trapped by a fixed mindset. But the antique dealer who sold me my…
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love!
Excellent.
Love this..Never heard the end of the story before.
Thanks, Shirl! Thinking of you today–hope you are taking good care of yourself!
Looked back at my original comment…about marching for Bernie. Here it is, another cycle, and I’m still sporting my Bernie bumper sticker and button on my car and purse wherever I go. Can we teach our children to break out of the Monkey Trap? I keep hoping. We’ll see.
Fingers crossed!
Good to read this again, Naomi.
❤ I remember this one. Let's hope…