h, Your Monkey Fell Out of the Tree

ome time ago Baron Von Lodge was the head of a small country near Switzerland known as Lilliland.

During many of the discussions with his chief advisor, Professor Hamblin, the Baron often brought up the subject of why, in the middle of an important discussion, the opposition would often introduce a new subject totally unrelated to the subject at hand.

This was very frustrating to all concerned because the subject had drifted too far a-field from the original topic to be resolved.

Professor Hamblin was often reminded that when that happened at Oxford University, there was an old saying they would use. Instead of saying, “How is this new subject related in any way, to the subject at hand?” they would just say, “Your monkey fell out of the tree.”

This meant, in a lighthearted way, that the subject had moved outside the parameters of the original subject. Everyone got the message right away because the monkey, in falling out of the tree, was totally unrelated to anything at hand.

The Professor said that when that statement about the monkey was first heard, it seemed utterly silly and out of the ordinary. But after a while, it did make sense because it encouraged people to debate and completely resolve an issue in a calm and educated manner.

When a person was advancing a point of view, it was desirable and important for the other party to understand the forethought that the other person was making. If the other person was taking an opposite view, just to engage in argument, then it became apparent by the lack of facts mentioned.

It was important that people learn early how to disagree without becoming a disagreeable person.

A discussion that ended up in cruel, name-calling was a good example of the monkey definitely falling out of the tree and landing on his head.