bhaskar saikia

Imagine this: five monkeys are in a cage. In the middle, a banana hangs from the ceiling, just within reach if they climb a ladder.

One monkey tries to grab the banana. But as soon as it climbs, all five monkeys are sprayed with freezing water. They scream and run away.

A little later, another monkey tries—again, they all get sprayed. Soon, they learn the rule: don’t climb the ladder, or everyone suffers.

Now, something interesting happens. One of the monkeys is replaced with a new one. The new monkey doesn’t know about the water, so it tries to climb the ladder—but the other monkeys attack it to stop it. The newcomer is confused but learns the rule: don’t climb, even if you don’t know why.

One by one, all the original monkeys are replaced. Eventually, none of the monkeys in the cage have ever been sprayed with water. But they still won’t touch the ladder.

Why?

Because that’s just how things have always been done.

A Tale of Society and Conformity

Though this experiment is likely more legend than science, it illustrates a real psychological phenomenon: social conditioning and inherited behaviors. Certain traditions, workplace rules, even societal norms often persist not because they make sense, but because “that’s how we’ve always done it.”

So, the next time you’re told, “That’s just the way it is,” ask yourself: Are you avoiding the banana for a reason? Or just because everyone else is?