How long do you think a flea will keep jumping?
Anyway, this is a pretty interesting story that we can reflect upon... Long ago, scientists put a flea in a jar and closed the lid, they saw the flea jump and hit the cover and made a 'Deng' sound. Now the flea with all it's energy kept jumping up, but everytime it would hit the cover. The flea never gave up, it kep doing it all day long, it was determined, it had energy and he was young, 'Deng, Deng, Deng ...'
Six months later, the scientists realised that there was no sound from the jar anymore. They realised that the flea had stopped hitting the cover, it was jumping lower and lower, until finally it came to a crawl on the bottom of the jar. Now the flea, disillusioned by the fact that no matter how hard it tried, it was no use, the cover was in the way. The cover prevented it from reaching its full potential.Later, the scientists removed the cover to open the jar. The flea suddenly got to smell fresh air. To the flea it was so refreshing, it was the smell of freedom. So it did what it did best, it jumped. But amazingly, the scientist discovered that the flea was only able to jump to the rim of the jar opening and not high enough to get out. The flea had been conditioned to only jump as high as the cover, as if the cover of the jar was still there!
How does this relate to me?
Well, we too have been conditioned by different 'jars' in our life; Jar's like society, community, family, friends and work. And each jar has a different height, diameter or size. Also, each jar has different colors and shapes; which paints a different view or perception of the world for us. So, if we are in a red jar, the world may see red and if the jar is curvey, then the world may look distorted and irregular. Sometimes, it may cause us to look at the world in a narrow aspect or allows us to see things in a broader scale.
Why are some jars, colored and some curvey and some straight and clear?Well, it may be caused by culture, belief, different values and different ways of thinking; which have been shaped by different experiences throughout our lives. Nothing wrong or right about the color or shape, just that its funny how metaphorically is makes sense.
In the beginning, we are energetic, full of life and determination to succeed and reach out goals, but when we start jumping and taking action, we found ourselves limited by the 'cover'. The cover can be anything from, a companies policy of promotion, expectations of society and family or may be worse, the limitation of our mind.
This is a serious cancer of the mind. When one is limited by their own mind, even when there is no more 'cover' the mind will never break free or escape.
When the cover is removed, when we see that there is something new, something refreshing, something that can help us escape out, escape the rat race or break through, we discover that we can't jump out of the jar. We discover that the conditioning of the jar and perception has prevented us from achieving our true potential. Just like the flea.
What can we do?
We need to understand that it is terribly difficult for someone who has been so long in this jar to jump out, so we need to relearn, re-educate, remind ourselves we can do more, we have no limitations and we can decide to be free. We have to start thinking we can.
It is hard work, but trust me that it is possible. And if it is possible, that simply means, YOU CAN DO IT.
You may look around and you may see people you respect, people you know who are in their personal jars for a long time. And as time goes by, the strange thing is, the jar get taller and taller, and if we do not realise this fact, we will be trapped forever in this jar. And when we finally realise that we are in a 'jar' with a 'cover' we then decide to give up, and forget about jumping and crawl instead. So, we never really achieve our dreams or even do the things that are important to us. Because what is important, may not be in the jar, it is outside the jar.
Today, look around you. Is your perception tainted a certain color? Are you looking at the world in a narrow view point or broad perspective? Is it distorted? Are you still jumping, hoping to get out of the jar? Or have you stopped jumping, stopped learning, stopped reminding yourself, YOU CAN? Think about it.
So, how long will a flea keep jumping?
For a flea, not for long. But for you, now that you know, I think you will want to keep jumping. Keep jumping, as they say:
