Day 2,748 —Mixing Metaphors and Other Ways People Confuse Me— with my PICTURE of HALLOWEEN 2020 #3

     When I hear someone use metaphoric languages of any kind, I go there with them in my mind. I imagine the parallel to what they are saying and how each point relates directly in comparison to the counterpart. So if you tell me “that a lesson is like a journey, so you need a plan to make sure you are going to get there.” I am with you so far. 

     “What if I find when I am teaching that I need to spend more time doing one thing and have to change my plans?” I might ask.  

     “Like a journey sometimes you hit construction and have to find another way to get there.” This works for me because on at least two levels there are direct comparison to the analogy, which do not “prove,” their point because an analogy is only a way to think about something (this might be one of the reasons this type of language triggers me. I have seen people use it to argue for their cause like they have said something profound; however, they have only offered a way for someone else to understand their point). 

So, if someone were to suggest, “This process is like a road map. You start at the beginning and work your way through each step,” okay. 

     “What if we never get to the last component and they get stuck on a different stage?” I might ask. 

     “You might have to leave it there and come back to it later.” Okay, now you have lost me. I am not being mean or mad at the person who does this, but it makes me think that they might not know what they think about what they are talking about. 

      Sorry, this ended up taking longer than I thought to write, like drinking this cup of coffee! It has been meditative for me to work out my thoughts.  

Happy Thursday, and I found that path I wrote about yesterday.