The 4th Monkey – “Do No Evil”

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We grew up with the story of the three monkeys. I imagine that many of us have the same interpretation of what they represent. We were exposed to pictures or statues. One monkey had his hands over his eyes, the second monkey with hands over his ears and the third monkey’s hands were over his mouth. They were see no evil (Mizaru), hear no evil (Kikazura) and speak no evil (Iwazura). There were actions and behaviors demanded of us based on the three monkeys, but nothing was said about the fourth monkey. The fourth monkey was do no evil (Shizaru).

four-wise-monkeys

The stories of the four monkeys were popular in Japan in the 17th century. Their origin is between 2 and 4 BC in China. The Storyologer web-site (www.storyologer.com) has this account of Mahatma Gandhi who carried around a small statue of the three monkeys.  “Gandhi had a statue of three monkeys in three different postures. One was shutting his mouth with his hands, the other was shutting his ears similarly and the third one had put hands on his eyes. A visitor to his house became curious and questioned Gandhi about the various postures of the monkeys. Gandhi politely replied, ‘The one shutting his mouth tells us that we should not speak ill of any body. The one shutting his ears tells us that we should not hear the ill of any body. And the one shutting his eyes tells us that we should not see the ills of any body. If we do so, we will have all goodness and nothing but goodness.’

Travelers will often find local markets with carved depictions or artwork featuring the three monkeys. My wife was able to purchase an angelic model of the same concept. There are three angels; one was covering her eyes, one was covering her ears and the other was covering her mouth. However, the fourth monkey was not shown. The 4th monkey, when pictured, is usually shown folding his arms (the body language of being closed) or covering his crotch to signify inactivity.

It is fascinating the different interpretations of the four monkeys. In Buddhist tradition it meant don’t spend your time preoccupied with evil thoughts. In the West it relates to not facing up to our moral responsibility, for example turning a blind eye. But in my household, the monkeys were presented to us as a model of proper behavior. Our parents wanted us to identify with the images, to supplement our moral code.

See no evil (Mizaru)

We were told to pay attention to people and location(s). The idea was that if we were in the right location, we would minimize seeing trouble develop before our eyes. This was applicable in school and at work. We were instructed against being at the wrong place at the wrong time. We were also told not to look for bad things in people or in certain situations. There are people who see bad things when they don’t exist, which could explain the manifestations of bias, stereotypes and profiling. We were not taught to be naïve, but to be careful and respectful.

Hear no evil (Kikazaru)

We were told to shield ourselves from bad language and bad intentions. We should stay away from people who spoke ill of others and gossiped. If we were not in the wrong place we could minimize hearing things that we should not hear. There was an exception: if we could acquire evil information and use it to do good or to help others, that would be permissible.

Speak no evil (Iwazura)

Speak no evil was used to discourage gossiping or speaking ill will about someone. We were told to watch our language and to speak kind words. “If you can’t say anything good about someone, don’t say anything” was a part of this same philosophy. Adults told us that spreading bad news or malicious information could come back to haunt us. We should also, apply this same advice to the workplace.

Some of us have adopted a code of silence in the workplace and would not tell when someone was not pulling their own weight. We would rather silently complain or resign, before talking about a employee who was not working. It is our responsibility to find a way to report injustice, illegal behavior and practices that undermine people and the organization.

One way to break the code of silence is by offering incentives to whistleblowers. These individuals are people who step forward and report unlawful activities in an organization. They are generally paid a 10% bounty if the measure goes to court and fines are levied against the lawbreakers. In neighborhoods where people know the perpetrators of violence, but fail to come forward, there are no such incentives. Residents may be afraid of retribution, as the rationale for their silence.

Do no evil (Shizaru)

The fourth monkey’s actions are truly related to the others. The workplace is a common place for the four monkeys to be used as an operating system. Employee bullying and intimidation, sexual-harassment claims, the presence of racial discrimination and sexually charged language and actions exists in some organizations. Where improprieties and liberties are taken with people’s rights in the form of disrespectful words and actions, there are laws in place to prevent and punish these actions. Employees, who adopt a see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil mindset are not helping to develop a positive company culture or a respectful workplace

Do no evil is a perfect monkey to enforce the values of character and integrity. He reminds us of proper behavior and etiquette. Our choices have consequences and the more we can emphasize a positive corporate culture and a respectful workplace the more effective our organizations will be become. There is conduct and behavior norms which must be identified, emphasized and enforced vigorously. Character will minimize stress in the workplace and reduce the number of lawsuits and discipline related to improper behavior.

How can we create an environment in our workplaces, families and communities, where people are held accountable for their own unlawful actions and the private citizens who come forward can feel safe and protected. If the fourth monkey was modeled, we would have less of a cause to talk about the other three monkeys.

Do no evil should be magnified and connected to many of our guiding principles of behavior.  The Golden Rule and its equivalent in many cultures advise us to treat people the way we want to be treated. The Platinum Rule which asks us to treat people the way they want to be treated. The 10 Commandments implores us not to do a series of acts which could be seen as evil, such as murder, stealing, etc.

We must clearly outline expectations of behavior and the judgment related to them to improve the climate in our organizations, homes and places where people meet. Correct action is essential to achieving healthy results in our relationships.

The imagery and practices espoused by the 4th monkey holds the key to making this possible. I am hopeful that by emphasizing the fourth monkey, we can improve our behaviors, connections, interactions and relationships of all kinds.

Copyright © 2016 Orlando Ceaser

25 thoughts on “The 4th Monkey – “Do No Evil””

  6. The next time I read a blog, Hopefully it does not disappoint me as much as this one. After all, I know it was my choice to read through, but I genuinely thought you’d have something useful to say. All I hear is a bunch of complaining about something that you could possibly fix if you weren’t too busy searching for attention.

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  23. My connection to the 4th monkey comes from a story about innovation killing –
    ” You start with a cage containing four monkeys, and inside the cage you hang a banana on a string, and then you place a set of stairs under the banana. Before long a monkey will go to the stairs and climb toward the banana. 
    You then spray ALL the monkeys with cold water.  After a while, another monkey makes an attempt. As soon as he touches the stairs, you spray ALL the monkeys with cold water.  Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it. 
    Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new monkey. The new monkey sees the banana and attempts to climb the stairs. To his shock, ALL of the other monkeys beat the crap out of  him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs he will be assaulted. 
    Next, remove another of the original four monkeys, replacing it with a new monkey. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment – with enthusiasm – because he is now part of the “team.” 
    Then, replace a third original monkey with a new monkey, followed by the fourth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked.  Now, the monkeys that are beating him up have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs. 
    Neither do they know why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey. Having replaced all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys will have ever been sprayed with cold water.  Nevertheless, not one of the monkeys will try to climb the stairway for the Banana. 
    Why, you ask? Because in their minds, that is the way it has always been! 
    This is how today’s House and Senate operates, and this Is why  from time to time, ALL of the monkeys need to be REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME! 
    DISCLAIMER: This is meant as no disrespect to monkeys.”

    Not sure of the source or validity, but have seen the corporate culture aspects of this behavior, and the price companies pay for it in terms of lost employee engagement, innovation, and competitive position.

    Thank you for sharing your knowledge and perspective.

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  24. Thank you for this, I came upon it as I was looking for the origin of the three monkeys. I do remember hearing “If you can’t say anything good about someone, don’t say anything”. But I never interpreted that to mean not to speak up if I saw a wrong, so I thought the three monkeys represented a person avoiding the bad in the world by refusing to see, hear or speak of it. Gandi heard, saw, and spoke about the evil of a system, not “of any body”. I am glad to see someone advising people in the business community who is writing about ethics. I wonder if having a reward for whistle blowers that relies on the court system to determine the reward is the best approach. Residents may be may be afraid of what will happen to their friend or neighbor in the criminal justice system.
    I agree, the fourth monkey is a good addition. But I was taught doing good is its own reward, but that is a difficult concept in the business world where “doing well” is equated with how much you earn. Have you heard of the concept of restorative justice?

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