There’s a popular story about monkeys that’s been loudly disparaged by its academic detractors…

BUT

I’m going to tell it to you anyway.

Three reasons: 

A.] I don’t care what they say.

B.] It’s interesting.

And, most important:

C.] It serves as a worthy parable for not just our digital age -- but also what’s happening here in Roatan, Honduras.

It’s known as:

The Hundredth Monkey Effect

In the 1950’s, the story goes, Japanese scientists were studying the behavior of macaque monkeys on the island of Koshima.

One day, they observed a couple of monkeys spontaneously deciding to wash the dirt off of their sweet potatoes -- something they’ve never seen them do in the past.

Before long, other monkeys noticed, too. 

And, upon seeing the immediate benefit… fewer mouthfuls of dirt and worms…

They too took their potatoes to the water’s edge alongside them. 

More and more monkeys got on board until, at some point, a “critical mass” was reached and, seemingly overnight, all monkeys on the island of Koshima washed their sweet potatoes in the water.

Strangely, though, this behavior didn’t stick to Koshima.

Scientists on other islands began reporting the same spontaneous behavior being exhibited by the macaques.

As far as they could tell, all macaques on earth were now washing their food as if they’d done it all their lives. And all of them were instantly better off -- eating was more enjoyable and their main food sources were healthier.

This “network effect” of beneficial behavior is entirely possible in the digital age -- and can spread just as quickly.

The Two-Hundredth Monkey Effect

If you’re a daily sufferer of my screeds, you know where I am: on an island off the coast of Honduras called Roatan.

You also know why I’m here: to attend a tech-focused pop-up city (Vitalia) in a private charter city (Prospera).

Vitalia is a pop-up city where 200(+) innovative “potato-washing” monkeys have come together to live and work together.

These monkeys are obsessed with new ways of washing potatoes (AKA, improving lives): especially when it comes to things like longevity, governance, crypto, AI, and emergent startup cities.

The difference between the Koshima macaques and the Roatan monkeys is that the latter will leave the island and show people all around the world what they learned.

They’ll also connect to an international communication system (AKA, the Internet) where other monkeys all around the world can learn these new ways of washing potatoes.

Indeed, many monkeys around the world are still eating dirty, worm-ridden potatoes. So it’s no surprise they’re pretty pessimistic about the future.

And yet…

The Good, the Better, the Best

First, the good news:

Neurotic doomsday fixation (NDF, for my acronym lovers) is far less prominent in places where the solutions -- not the problems -- are the focus.

(Especially when coupled with focusing more energy on protecting what you love rather than trying to kill what you hate.)

The better news:

It’s clear: Millions of moonshots -- as we’re seeing in AI, crypto, charter cities, and longevity -- are becoming more shouts than mere whispers.

More mainstream than fringe.

More exciting than scary.

The best news:

These tech breakthroughs have the potential to improve our lives in ways previously unimaginable. Maybe even ushering in more peace and prosperity than any monkey has ever experienced on Earth.

The BETTER THAN BEST news:

Perhaps this new world is closer than we think.

Perhaps you’ll live to see it.

And perhaps -- perhaps! -- you may even live long enough to live forever.

More on that tomorrow.