Eight monkeys in a room!

Put 8 monkeys in a room. 

In the middle of the room is a ladder, leading to a bunch of bananas hanging from the ceiling.

Each time a monkey tries to climb the ladder, all the monkeys are sprayed with ice water, which makes them miserable.

Soon enough, whenever a monkey attempts to climb the ladder, all of the monkeys, not wanting to be sprayed on, set upon him and beat him up.

Soon, none of the eight monkeys ever attempts to climb the ladder.

Then, one of the original monkeys is removed, and a new monkey is put in the room. 

Seeing the bananas and the ladder, he wonders why none of the monkeys are doing the obvious.

Undaunted, he begins to climb the ladder.

All the other monkeys jump him and beat him silly and he has no idea why.

However, he no longer attempts to climb the ladder.

A 2nd original monkey is removed & replaced. 

The newcomer attempts to climb the ladder, but all the other monkeys beat him up again.

This includes the previous new monkey, who, grateful that he’s not on the receiving end this time, participates in the beating because all the other monkeys are doing it.

However, he has no idea why he’s attacking the new monkey.

1 by 1, all the original monkeys are replaced.

8 new monkeys are now in the room. 

None of them have ever been sprayed by ice water.

None of them attempt to climb the ladder.

All of them will enthusiastically beat up any new monkey who tries, without having any idea why.

To understand this is to understand that you have the capacity to question what you see.