The Bee and Fly Experiment

From TODAY, Voices
Thursday October 16, 2008

By Dr James Dobson

I recently heard about an experiment in which 12 bees were placed in a jar in a darkened room. A light was beamed onto the bottom of the glass and the top lid removed. Instinctively, the bees flew towards the light, but they couldn’t get out. All 12 bees died while trying to buzz their way through the bottom of the jar.

Next, the researchers took 12 common houseflies and repeated the experiment. Within seconds, the flies had found their way out of the top of the jar. Now, it’s known that bees are more intelligent than flies and their survival instincts are usually better-defined, yet it was those very instincts that doomed the bees.

I wonder how often our own preconceived notions cloud common sense. My father, for example, hated automatic transmissions on automobiles because the cars on which he learned to drive were manuals. I’ve fallen into similar patterns. Until recently, I wrote books using pencils and yellow writing pads. I did that for years, even after word processors became available. The 20th century was almost over before I decided to join it.

Rigidity in the force of habit can cause you to do things that make no sense. What out-of-date and illogical ideas are you holding onto these days? Do some of them involve the way you raise your children? It’s a question worth pondering.