Comments on: What is the Monkeysphere?

By: Mormon Nailer

Mormon Nailer — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:29:45 +0000

I like this Monkey Sphere theory. It explains why I don't give a rip about the starving peeps in Africa, and I'm tired of feeling guilty like I should care about them, even though there's absolutely nothing I can do to help them. Even sending money is useless. It just doesn't help any. Plus i don't know them so outta site. Outta mind.

By: Tim

Tim — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 07:12:06 +0000

I find myself severly underwhelmed. This essay lacks supporting evidence in a profound way, and fials to address the insightful arguments that previous thinkers have put forth on the subject in any serious way. Perhaps the book does a better job at this, but I found the level of discourse to be closer to a Chick Tract than a meaningful contribution to the way we understand human soceity.

By: col

col — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:50:42 +0000

i will always box broken glass(if un-recyclable)just for this reason,I don't think its unusual,but mebbes my "monkeysphere" is a bit bigger than the writers!i.e having done some manual labour and had a grounding in socalist pragmatism from family and society at large.

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:10:29 +0000

I prefer my fish tank over monkeys. 1 dead fish? Just go to PetCo.

Unrelated:
God bless Cathy D. It's not a work I could do.

By: Rosi

Rosi — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 11:43:59 +0000

Wow really interesting.
It's not often that you find something on the internet that really makes you think about life.
But it's true- when it comes down to it, we're all just monkeys, no matter how advanced we become.

By: Cathy D.

Cathy D. — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 06:47:14 +0000

The whole world is my monkeysphere, and you are all in it. This is not a comfortable way to live, but it is the way I'm made, and I am learning to find peace with it. I was called to this way of life and of being, and once this happens, there's nowhere on earth to hide from that call. That's why I chose to do gerontological social work.

By: Anita

Anita — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:01:40 +0000

thank you grouchosuave!

I must be very simple (and therefore have a very small monkeysphere), because I thought the article was one of the most thought provoking I had ever read when it was first published a couple weeks ago.

By: grouchosuave

grouchosuave — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 02:54:46 +0000

Man! what a bunch of killjoys.

It's a simple little postulation to bring a point home.

I'd prefer the company of monkeys to most of the above commenters.

By: MikeT

MikeT — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 23:53:28 +0000

I like these ironies...

"Know problems cannot be solved with clever slogans and over-simplified step-by-step programs.

You can do that by following these simple steps. We like to call this plan the T.R.Y. plan:"

AND

"Second, UNDERSTAND that there are no Supermonkeys. Just monkeys. Those guys on TV you see, giving the inspirational seminars, teaching you how to reach your potential and become rich and successful like them? You know how they made their money? By giving seminars. For the most part, the only thing they do well is convince others they do everything well."

"So just remember: T-R-Y. Go forth and do likewise, gents. Copies of our book are available in the lobby."

By: John J.

John J. — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 23:25:58 +0000

I stopped caring after the fifth use of the word imagine.

By: Weakly

Weakly — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:01:38 +0000

Monkeysphere is an overly elaborate method of explaining a simple concept. BUT ITZ GAWT MONKEYS ROTFL LOL0RZ!!~1 so it must be good, right?

By: Steohawk

Steohawk — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:25:43 +0000

There'd never be a point at which I'd stop caring that about the monkeys, though I might not have the personal relationship with a hundred monkeys as I would just one monkey.

There's a darker side to this. In this metaphor, if we people are all monkeys, who is our human? What happens if this human dies? Does another human take his place, or do all the monkeys become free individuals? Of course the most important question is: Why do the monkeys even NEED a human in the first place?