Community - No Man Is an Island 1-11-10

Anderson, South Carolina

Nearly sixty years ago Japanese researchers studied the behavior of macaques on Koshima Island. Reports were popularized that once a critical number of monkeys (the hundredth monkey) learned a new behavior, it was instantly adopted by all monkeys, even those physically isolated on other islands. New Age writers popularized these reported findings. Claims of this behavioral phenomenon spread with the appearance of Lifetide, a 1979 book by Lyall Watson. In the early 1980s Ken Keyes published his book The Hundredth Monkey. His book was about the devastating effects of nuclear war on the planet. In it Keyes presented the “Hundredth Monkey Effect” story as an inspirational parable, applying it to human society and the effecting of positive change. For a season the phenomenon was embraced, even in academic sources. Many were hopeful that the introduction of a positive empowering behavior could transform the relational experiences of millions. Alas, closer scrutiny of the original Japanese work by Elaine Myers in 1985 suggests wishful thinking on the part of observers of that work resulted in misinterpretation of the original field work. For the most part, the hundredth monkey phenomenon has now gone the way of urban legend.

Or has it? Is it, in fact, possible in this cyber age for the behavior of a very small number, perhaps even one individual, to be adopted by millions? Unlike monkeys isolated on separate islands we humans are all on a single island called Earth, connected by broadband technology. Much of the bandwidth and airtime of conventional media is given over to describing aberrant behavior of individuals in remote regions of the world. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that even a single athlete, entertainer, or dictator can have a profound effect on the behavior of millions.

Many academics have made careers of studying the influence of mass media on behavior. Peer review academic literature is filled with emphatic statements about the patency of media in influencing behavior. For example, “Short-term exposure increases the likelihood of physically and verbally aggressive behavior, aggressive thoughts, and aggressive emotions. Recent large-scale longitudinal studies provide converging evidence linking frequent exposure to violent media in childhood with aggression in later life, including physical assaults and spouse abuse … the scientific debate over whether media violence increases violence is essentially over.” Media is immensely powerful at influencing behavior, for better or worse.

In the cyber age we are real-time observers of media figures who are seen as nearly mythical. The aura surrounding the death of Michael Jackson was far greater than that of countless individuals who lived quite exemplary lives. Because of his long stay in the klieg lights, Jackson received inordinate attention from millions and to many he was heroic, irrespective of how he may have conducted his personal life.

Perhaps even more heroic in the eyes of millions are professional athletes who convey to the arm-chair dreamer the idea that the good life is just one commercial away. If one buys the sponsor’s product, one can vicariously live a life of fame and fortune.

Recently, we have observed the fall of what some sports writers call the greatest athlete in decades. The ability to consistently pound little white balls into little tin cups in the ground has made an ordinary man into a billionaire hero. Corporate America has been falling over itself for several years to affiliate its corporate images with this man who could convince the world that buying their products would yield life extraordinaire.

We have long been caught up in the myth that we are autonomous beings, free to do what we want, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. We believe privacy is the ultimate perk in life. What I do with my private life has nothing to do with my public life as an elected official, heroic athlete, or revered entertainer. Does someone in the enviable position of being declared the greatest athlete in the world have the right to conduct his own life as he sees fit or does his position of great privilege come with some responsibilities to the community at large, even the yet larger world with millions of fans in a hundred nations.

Is what I do behind locked doors in my house your business? It is if your retirement account has stock in companies that have asked me to endorse their products. A University of California economist’s estimates suggest that the market capitalization of nine companies that sponsored an adulterous golfer have declined by more than $12 billion. In recent weeks in attempts to do damage control, many sponsors have dropped our erstwhile hero and bolted for the exits. Sports writers have wondered out loud what the missteps of one player might do to damage the game of golf.

Far more important than transient effects on market capitalization, are the longer term effects on the moral and ethic bearings of those who have placed a young athlete on a pedestal, not unlike the ancient Greeks often did. Does the misconduct of a public figure translate into tacit acceptance of that behavior? A year from now will our fallen golfer be swinging again on the links and off? Will his dalliances in some way contribute to the decisions of many of his fans to follow him into green pastures where they have no business wandering?

Who are my real heroes and where do I put my money? Am I merely acting like one of the monkeys or one created in the image of God? For certain, my life did not work at all when I acted like I was living in the trees.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
I Th 4:3-8