Page 16 - Jeff the Monkey

We see that as time goes on the adult monkeys try to get all of the young monkeys to learn to climb but Jeff refuses because of his Stinky Thinking. Jeff does not have to reevaluate his irrational beliefs because he is able to survive by luck when a few bananas fall from the trees.
His luck with the fallen bananas allows for the development of an additional irrational self-message, “Things will work out to my benefit without any effort on my part.” This belief allows him to ignore what others are telling him and he does not believe that the bananas will soon be gone.
When there are fewer and fewer bananas, Jeff starts annoying and bullying to get his way (more bananas.) Others do not deal with Jeff’s behavior very well. They give him bananas because of their own frustration or guilt and he develops the additional irrational self-message, “Others should do what I want regardless of what they want.” Do you understand that when you give in to another’s Stinky Thinking, you encourage them to continue to think that way, Stinky?
Jeff continues to be unwilling to learn to climb, despite the fact that he is getting fewer and fewer bananas. The remaining bananas are of poor quality but because the trees have grown tall, he is afraid to climb the trees. Additionally, he is unwilling to practice on the smaller trees because they have no fruit, “So why bother.”
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