THE CAPTIVITY OF OUR ADDICTIONS: LESSONS FROM A MONKEY TRAP STORY

As human beings, one of the values we hold most dear is freedom. People may renounce many things in life, but they rarely give up their sense of freedom. Yet, despite loving freedom so much, we often become prisoners of thick walls and invisible chains that we build with our own hands. (It would be unfair not to mention Erich Fromm’s brilliant book Escape from Freedom here.)

The links of these chains-or the mortar of these walls-are not the product of external authority or physical force, but rather arise from our excessive attachment to our own desires, fears, and dependencies.

In the pursuit of material gain, social status, technological comfort, and the need for approval, modern people unknowingly condemn themselves to a kind of spiritual captivity. One of the most striking examples illustrating this situation is a simple yet deeply meaningful trap used in Asia to capture monkeys.

There is a type of trap used in Asia for catching monkeys. A coconut is hollowed out and tied with a rope to a tree or a stake fixed in the ground. A small slit is cut into the coconut, and a piece of sweet food is placed inside. The slit is just wide enough for the monkey to insert its hand when open-but too narrow to withdraw it once it forms a fist.

As soon as the monkey smells the sweet, it cannot resist; it reaches in, grabs the food, and tries to pull its hand out. But because its hand is clenched, it cannot free itself. To escape the trap, all it needs to do is release the food and open its hand. Yet the greed and desire to possess are so strong that the monkey refuses to let go. When the hunters approach, it panics and struggles-but still won’t release the treat. In the end, it is caught. No physical force holds it captive; its own attachment is the true source of its imprisonment.

This story represents a fundamental truth about human nature: it is often not external circumstances that enslave us, but our own mental dependencies. When we cling too tightly to our desires, we lose our freedom. When we become excessively attached to a possession, an idea, a relationship, or a status, we fall into a trap from which we cannot free ourselves-just like the monkey.

Having the courage to let go of what we possess actually helps us attain true freedom. Sometimes, the more we can release the “sweet” things we hold onto, the more easily we can find the peace and balance that life offers.

Therefore, in every aspect of life, we should dare to ask ourselves:

“Are the things that bind me truly the external world, or are they the desires I cling to so tightly?”

Perhaps this awareness is the first step toward emotional and mental liberation. Just as the monkey must open its hand to be free, we too must learn to let go-so that we can take our first step toward freedom.