Of Monkeys and Magic

Before I start, I have to confess, I have been spending a great deal of time lately thinking about the nature of reality. But, I never thought that a silly holiday might actually give me some insight into how we perceive.

Yesterday for Halloween, I dressed as an Organ Grinder, complete with a monkey (puppet) for about an hour while hundreds of children and parents strode down Main Street past our gallery.

The idea was proposed by my incredibly talented and capable wife, Sarah, who drew the inspiration from a monkey puppet we bought a while back. The puppet was simple but Sarah added a cute little red hat and vest along with new legs and snazzy little shoes. To top off the costume, I wore a jacket with a fake right arm, so that my real arm could slip out and control the monkey. With an organ box around my neck, I had the perfect stage for the monkey who jumped around, told jokes, stole candy and did naughty things when only adults were around.

I have always enjoyed puppets, but I have never spent this much time interacting with people through a puppet - especially with so many people I did not know - and did not know me. At some point during this frenzy, I realized that something truly magic happens. The monkey puppet becomes alive. Both outwardly to the observers and inwardly for the guy that has his hand inside.

The most telling reaction is fear. I would say about 25% of the people that came by were afraid of the monkey in some way. Mostly young children - but a surprising number of older kids and adults. One adult woman refused to walk directly past and went out as far as she could in the street without taking her eyes off the monkey.

The other telling reaction is acceptance. A surprising number of people had a direct conversation with the monkey. And many also did what the monkey told them to do - as long as they were not afraid. Again, this reaction included adults.

The most surprising aspect of this event was how the personality of the monkey evolved. Now, I have acted a little, and I have written stories with human characters, so I am fully aware of how the human mind can manifest attributes for a fictional character - and can decide how that fictional character might act based on those attributes. What is shocking is this can happen without months of planning and rehearsal. This phenomenon can take place in realtime. I had no idea what I would do or say when I started. But the monkey quickly developed a clear personality. He had his own voice, laugh, and a very specific sense of humor that only a mother could love. I believe the monkey was way funnier than I can be on my own. A startling thought.

My initial hypothesis on this phenomenon is that the monkey appeared to be alive because he was unpredictable. Really unpredictable. And unpredictability is at the root of both fear and humor - two very real emotions in life that are tied together. Consider how often laugh we when we are afraid.

My most significant insight from this event was around the nature of perception and the modeling of reality in our human consciousness. The monkey became real in some way in the mind of the observers - even for adults who knew what was really going on. And that leads me to questioning the nature of living things that I know are real. Of course, people, animals and plants are truly alive. But I can't help but wonder if there is someone or something inside me that is making me feel a little uneasy right now.