Richter’s experiment of hope

The experiment

Curt Richter in the 1950’s performed experiments on mice. It was by all standards a very gruesome and inhumane experiment. The lesson is not to glorify a terrible experience on these poor animals. I hope that we have now moved away from such acts in the name of science.

Are there any positives from such experiments?

Here, it is to pick some positives about such nasty experiments in the name of science.

When the rats believed that there was no hope, they gave up. The rats that were immersed in water died within minutes. For another group of rats, he would pick them up, let them rest and then put them back in the jar of water. After the reprieve, the rats swam for hours rather than minutes.

This also proved a point, animals such as rats are clever enough to understand the essence of hope. This begs another question, if we admit animals to be clever, do we have a right to be conducting experiments on them to save ourselves?

http://tradingcomposure.com/rat-experiment-about-hope/

https://images.pexels.com/photos/311391/pexels-photo-311391.jpeg?cs=srgb&dl=pexels-lynnelle-richardson-311391.jpg&fm=jpg

 

The lesson

That experiment was about hope. When the rats realised that they could be saved, they kept on swimming for much longer. They had hope. For entrepreneurs and individuals; hope is the most salient differentiator between those who survive and those who give up. Many successful entrepreneurs at some points in their lives would have failed, but like the rats that survived the jar experiment, they continued to have hope of survival. This belief invariably helps them to overcome temporary adversity.

The ability to continue to hang on may eventual pay off for many of entrepreneurs.

Business owners especially during tough times live in the hope of a better tomorrow. If there is a lesson from the current pandemic it is that no condition is permanent. It also shows us that we must look beyond the hurt of today for a better tomorrow.

Listening to some motivational videos, I sometimes come across some incredible nuggets.

 

Our circumstances

This one is that life is about how we deal with the circumstances we find ourselves. In the video above, the analogy of what happens to three different objects when they come into contact with hot water. Potatoes, eggs and coffee. Hot water changes all three objects differently. The same hot water that softens potatoes, hardens eggs and brings out the aroma in coffee.

The is true of most things. We react differently to events that happens to us. There will always be challenges, but our reaction to those tough situations will make the difference.

You may also be interested in another blog

https://www.enterprisedoctors.com/when-opportunity-knocks/

You may also be interested in the struggle

The Struggle – Blogsoulfood