Folly

An experiment was conducted in which six bees and six flies were placed inside a bottle. The bottle was turned on its side with its base facing the light coming through the window. At the other end, the mouth of the bottle was open. In that situation it was discovered that bees will persist in trying find their way to freedom through the base-until they die of hunger or exhaustion. It seems that the bees' attraction to light is their undoing in this experiment. The light shining through the base seems to convince them that there is no other way out. And so they press up against the bottom of the bottle closing themselves off from all other possibilities. Consequently, they cannot discover the opening at the other end of the bottle. The feather brained flies, on the other hand, all get out of the bottle within two minutes. Seemingly unconcerned, they just keep buzzing all around inside until they sally forth to freedom through the neck and out the opening. Thus, the bees remain prisoners of their own logic while the flies meet the good fortune that often awaits the simple.