You’re probably well aware of the three wise monkeys.
They embody the proverbial principle to “see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil”.
The three monkeys are:
* Mizaru – covering his eyes
* Kikazaru – covering his ears
* Iwazaru – covering his mouth
Their pictoral origins can be traced back to Japan, and a 17th-century carving at the Nikko Tōshōgū Shrine.
They are widely believed to have incorporated Confucius’s Code of Conduct, but are also part of Buddhist legend, Kōshin practice, and Taoism.
The general interpretation is to be mindful of what you look at, listen to, and what you say.
Interestingly, their order on the carving (if you read from left to right) is hear, speak, and see.
A few years ago I came across a reindeer version of the monkeys, which made me smile.
They’re now part of our festive decorations every Christmas.
Online there’s a meme that introduces a fourth monkey.
While a fourth monkey is not uncommon, it’s usually depicted as Sezaru, who symbolises the principle of “do no evil”.
This monkey may be shown crossing its arms or covering its genitals.
But that’s not the one that crops up in the meme.
This one is holding a mobile phone.
The tag line reads:
Finally the fourth ape!
He is the sum of the first three: he sees nobody, hears nobody and speaks to nobody!
Yep. We’ve all seen it.
Maybe at times we’ve all done it.
We’re so absorbed in our phones, we’re not paying attention to anyone, or anything around us.
Often we see couples or families – all on their phones.
No engagement or conversation with each other at all.
How many times has a person nearly walked in to you because they’re focused on their phone, only to look up at the last minute, and be totally surprised that you are there?
Technology makes us feel like we’re connected, but if all we’re connected to is our phone, we’re missing out on so much.
So don’t be the fourth monkey.
Look up and engage.
See, hear, speak… and do – mindfully of course!
Ann 🙏