“Hey Monkey Brain!”
Usually when you hear somebody refer to a “monkey mind”, it’s from a Buddhist term meaning “unsettled, restless, capricious, whimsical, fanciful, inconstant, confused, indecisive, and/or uncontrollable”.
People often wrestle with their monkey mind when taking on new practices such as yoga or meditation, which require the mind to be still… something that can feel quite foreign to the average Westerner.
And then if someone calls you a “monkey brain”, it usually means they think you’re an idiot. Larry Winget, who we interviewed the other night, says we’re ALL idiots sometimes (and even he is, more often than most); and that can mean that you’re ignorant (you don’t know any better), stupid (you do know better, but choose not to act on that knowledge), lazy, don’t give a damn, lack vision, have low expectations, don’t recognize the consequences of your actions, have bad habits, poor role models, or no plan.
Most of us, of course, are idiots in more than one of these categories.
====== Continued =======
Maybe you say you know all about the law of attraction / conscious-living, and have for 20 years, yet you focus all day on what you don’t want.
Or maybe you say you value money, but you’d rather sit around and watch TV or meditate all day. Or maybe you’re content with where you are because you figure it’s all you’re meant to be, do or have.
All of those instances might seem pretty innocent at first, but they’re really idiotic when you think about it.
Monkey-brained!
But now we find out that “monkey brain” can be something good… as in, clever enough to debate intelligently over something.
How do we know this?
Because we found a website called “Hey MonkeyBrain! Where smart people go to argue” (link at the end of this blog post).
So if someone calls you a monkey brain, not only are they not necessarily insulting you, but they may be actually giving you a compliment.
“Oh, no!” we hear some of you saying. “Arguing is too negative to be considered a compliment!”
Well, why does that have to be the case? Certainly if someone has a strong opinion or a stance on something that they know about, and can intelligently defend that position, that’s an admirable trait. We’re not saying that it’s bad to have an open mind; in fact, an open mind is a very good thing in most instances.
But if you’re set in what you think, because you’ve got personal experience or knowledge to back it up, or it’s just something you feel strongly about, why shouldn’t you be allowed to voice your opinion — even if others just as strongly disagree?
We’ve quoted this before, but French essayist Joseph Joubert once said:
“It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it.”
And as Jim Rohn put it:
“You’ve got to argue, you’ve got to debate. Here’s what happens to a good idea when it’s debated: it grows, it refines. Sometimes it even becomes spectacular.”
Not only that, but having an open mind to the extent that you blindly accept what others say (even what so-called “teachers”, “gurus” or “experts” say) means that you lose the ability to think for yourself.
You become a puppet, with your strings being pulled by other people. Sometimes your strings get pulled every which way, as you flip-flop back and forth based on different (and conflicting) things that other people say. You start to live an incongruent life, which means you can’t attract what you want into your life. And eventually you lose control of what makes you “you”.
What’s the solution to cutting the puppet strings and becoming a real (read: well-rounded, congruent, and all-out powerful) person, just like Pinocchio wanted to be?
Think! Ponder! Question! Wonder! Debate! Argue!
Get up on your virtual soapbox, and tell the world where you stand!
Well… what are you waiting for?
If it’s a platform — a public place online to to speak your mind — keep reading:
Certainly you can head over to Hey MonkeyBrain to make your opinion known.
However, for something a tad more flexible and personal — a place where you can showcase whatever angle, philosophy, argument, or passion you like — consider this:
HeyMonkeyBrain’s parent company.
A company that:
>> boasts one of the 300 most popular websites in the US
>> generates hundreds of dollars in annual royalties to charities and to its users
>> gets blogged about 1000+ times a day
>> allows you to make an interactive, Web 2.0 webpage in about 10 minutes (these are
called “lenses”)
>> has a philosophy of “collaborative sharing”
That company is Squidoo !
To learn all about it and how you can use it to share, promote, and profit, click this banner:
Filed under: E-Business, Self-Sabotage
[…] […]
I have diligently supported the act of debate since I realized that if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for (just about) anything.
That’s when I learned the difference between arguing and debating.
Personally speaking, I understand that arguing is just plain stupid.
Whereas debating is basically “intelligent” arguing because you enter into the exchange expecting to entertain viable perspectives you may not have otherwise thought of. In other words, “objective” arguing.
Otherwise, it’s just plain stupid to argue…
I think Robert makes an excellent point, distinguishing between debating and arguing.
I enjoy a healthy debate, but that requires that all parties have an open mind, and are at least willing to listen to alternative points of view, whether or not they agree. A good debate is mentally stimulating, shakes out our mental cobwebs and expands our thinking.
There is nothing wrong in having a strong opinion. Debates degenerate when one or more of the parties are very rigid in their thinking and turn the discussion into a control issue, becoming aggressive in their need to be right and win.
I have a close family member who is like that; she becomes so angry and even hostile in promoting her personal agendas, and seems to be unable to tolerate differing points of view. I think most of us have encountered that type of personality somewhere in our lives.
So, the way I see it, the problem is not with debating or voicing a strong opinion; the problem is with human personalities and how they react to the differing opinions of others.
My personal belief is different strokes for different folks. We are all different, so promoting a one size fits all system is like saying that we should all wear a size 8 shoe. Some people may respond better to a stronger , in your face type of approach; others require a softer gentler approach; some respond to an intellectual approach; others need more emotion etc
What matters in the end, is that each of us becomes self aware enough to know which works best for ourselves, and to have tolerance for the differences in others
I like the idea of Monkey brain, especially
Think, Question, and Debate. because that is what I like to do,
Some folk are not worth the effort of trying to have an argument or debate with – their brains DO NOT FUNCTION on the required levels for such debate to occur!
It is like batting your head against a brick wall, and all that happens is that YOU get a sore head, and have to walk/run away so you won’t physically harm them!
My ex-partner’s sister was like that, and I could never tolerate her for more than half an hour, as all I wanted to do was to hit her over the head with something to see if any of the brain cells shot into action as a result!
Most of the time, I tried to stay well away from her as it was easier and better for MY sanity.
If she had even the glimmerings of a ‘monkey brain’ then I never saw any sign of such a remarkable piece of equipment being used in the several years I was forced to spend time in Lura’s company.
My Mother described folk like Lura, as “being behind the door when the brains were given out!”
Very apt description, I might add, of that particular female!
I love a good discussion, and it matters not who gets the last word in as there is always a ‘next time’ to start all over again, and maybe chuck in some new ideas as well just to make life interesting. One also learns new things each time, so effort is never wasted.
I love those silly sessions where it all starts off with a comment about someone – the main ”object of the comment gets taken up and expanded upon, and the whole thing turns into a hilarious brain work-out as you try to outsmart the others in the game.
One session was all to do with trees, as we had been told by a man at the club, that as a boy he used to climb a tree and watch his female neighbour have a wash on her front porch every morning. She either did not think anyone was watching, or could see her, or maybe did not care. He masturbated while watching – which made his telling of the story, rather pitiful, and it was no surprise that we made the most of his eventual departure to discuss him and his story.
The art of one-upmanship took over, and it was a competition to see who could think of the next line to do with TREES, that no one else could top! We were not being nasty abut him, just playing with part of his story, and having a great time. ( Turning over a new leaf/going out on a limb/barking up the wrong tree etc, etc, etc)
If you don’t have a ‘monkey mind’ then you can never take part in these sessions as you need to be able to ‘think on your feet’ and twist words or phrases slightly to change the connotation entirely!!!!
I feel really alive and energised after such a session and my brain seems to be fizzing!
Questions:
Do the more skilled folk who play Dungeons & Dragons and other such games, have ‘monkey brains’ ?
Are you more likely to succeed in business having such a brain?
Is it an essential trait for astronauts to have?
Is it a desirable trait in athletes and others, or are they better off having a more stable brain so they are not so easily distracted and can focus on the job in hand?
Would there be fewer road deaths if all human had this type of brain? Would they react better and faster to all situations and be more skilful drivers?
Happy New Year to you all
from Sara
( in New Zealand)
hmm, while having an opinion is quite frankly a human condition it is our need to defend it that springs from uncertainty. To show someone the way around something you feel to be true is very different to the heated debates where both/all members are set on “prooving” the other wrong. But there is much more behind the veil of mortal opinions and so to hold too tightly to them and feel so identified with these contingent beliefs is really just self-harm and usual only serves to perpetuate the same condition in others.
This is my opinion anyway 🙂
What about the option of discussion? My ex and I argued all the time, about everything. My husband and I (current marriage) never argue. We don’t even debate, we discuss. When I think of debating, I think of telling the other person that they’re wrong. When you discuss something, you lay out both points of view on the table and open it all up for questions, which leads to learning in many cases.
i like Trina’s idea of discussion versus debate
i like what Cressida say about NOT identifying with your opinion. The word viewpoint versus opinion is a word that i like….if i change to another window – i may get a new viewpoint that doesn’t make the other viewpoint ‘wrong’
i notice i have a reaction to the word ‘lazy’ – i think there is great creativity from ‘lazy’ i like to take the letters of ‘lazy’ and suggest that the ‘L’ is for aliveness and vitality, ‘A’ is action with assertiveness, ‘Z’ is for use of unlimited information and ‘Y’ is one of my favorites – ‘ease of activity.
BLONDES are SEXIER and have MORE fun!
Just one of the discussions on Monkey Brain.
I agree with Wallacer. When reading the comment do you think of just females? Being a blonde male I think I have more fun!
Interesting observation on the comments. Argue with ex and discuss / debate with current. Maybe THAT is the situation, 1 Monkey Brain requires another. Which confirms that attraction between 2 people is actually mental. Which brings me back to the blondes. They have more fun because they are so clever, being sexy is just another one of those attributes we must bear . . . . 🙂
Back to the Monkey Brain. The ability to “step back” and view the discussion or situation from another view requires a mental shift which is not possible for those blinkered fear of change or alternatives. Those changes or alternatives are viewed as threats to the person and therefore a rejection of the way they see themselves. Thus the defense . . . arguments . . . ex –
Ask my ex !