Good Metaphors

Of course good metaphors can sound nice to the ears. But they do at least two other things as well. To begin with, they simply make is easier to think about something, especially something new. In addition, they make it possible to think about things in new ways.

A good example of the first use is in the terminology that came with computers. If I was to try to explain to a first-time computer user that bits of electricity generated a binary code which then... well, I can't explain it in that way. In fact, I don't quite understand the process. I can, however, say that a computer has "memory," at which point the user will nod his or her head and says, "Oh, I understand." And the person does understand the process then - at least as far as they need to. "Memory" is just a metaphor, but it immediately suggests that information can be stored and retrieved later.

We hardly have a choice about using metaphors for understanding new things. What better way is there to tell someone about a story in a PDF file than to call it an ebook, or electronic book. New things are almost always explained by way of things we already know, giving us a way to think about them and communicate our understanding.

Good Metaphors Create New Ideas

The second thing that good metaphors do for us is to expand our ways of thinking about things. If we say that time is a river, for example, we imagine it flowing along, perhaps with us in it - along with others. Such an understanding suggests the possibility of swimming upstream, or going downstream faster. In fact, many physicists think time travel in one direction or the other (or both) is possible. Their theories are not unrelated to the metaphors they "see" time through.

Time is a dimension? In that case we might note that the measurements of things in other dimensions can change, as can relationships between them. A piece of paper can be wider, taller, or thicker. It can be further to this side or that of a cup of coffee, or above or below a table. With this in mind, it is natural to wonder if events or things can be similarly moved around in time in some way.

Time is an eternal "book," with events each taking their place in its pages? In that case we are not likely to imagine those events jumping from one page to another, or to imagine moving ourselves around within the book. But this metaphor of a book does suggest a reader, who would presumably be outside of time - perhaps a god of some sort?

Good Metaphors Are Tools

That's a metaphor, of course, and a good one, because it explains and expands our understanding. A tool is something you use for specific job, and for the next job you reach for a different tool. What if a better one comes along? You drop the old and use the new.

Because of this "tool" nature, it's much easier to find many "good" metaphors than a "best" one. To explore all of the perspectives on time, for example, we need to use more than one metaphor, as we did above. In fact, we should use any that might add something to our understanding of time.

A more personal example will make the usefulness of good metaphors clear. How can we understand a recurring fear? By choosing to see that certain negative thoughts are seeds, and that if you plant a fear seed a fear tree grows. The metaphor suggests there may be something nourishing those seeds within us, just as a tree is nourished by water and nutrients.

Looking at the issue from this perspective, we might see that our attention is what nourishes those thoughts. If we withdraw that nourishment, the tree - the fear - will begin to whither and die. Just a fanciful idea? Not at all. The experience of many people confirms that this metaphor points to one aspect of how our minds actually function.

What if instead of seeing negative thoughts as your "self," you saw them as "invaders," "imposters," or even "conspirators?" You might immediately trust them less, right. Certainly that can change your approach to life - and therefore your results in life. That's why these are not only examples of good metaphors, but examples of powerful tools as well.

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