Mythogem # 3 - Metaphors That We Live By: How Metaphors Shape the Way We See the World

[M]ythology is a compendium of metaphors. — Joseph Campbell

The following prompt is based on cognitive linguists, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s thesis from their monumental work Metaphors We Live By: “If we are right in suggesting that our conceptual system is largely metaphorical, then the way we think, what we experience, and what we do every day is very much a matter of metaphor” (124). Therefore, if our thoughts, experiences, and actions are rooted in metaphor, then what do those metaphors of thought, experience, and action look like?

More specifically, what are the metaphors that each of us live by day-to-day?

It is important to be self-aware of such metaphors because they dictate everything about our social existence.

By researching your own personal, conceptual metaphors you will begin to see how both culture and personality shape the way we perceive reality.

So let’s begin with a definition of metaphor: “The essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another” (125, emphasis in original). This is the most applicable definition describing the function of metaphor, because metaphor transforms how we comprehend one thing using the terminology and experience of another.

All linguistic concepts (for it is hard to conceive of a concept outside of language) are structured through conceptual metaphors. Some of Lakoff and Johnson’s most popular examples include: ARGUMENT IS WAR, THEORIES ARE BUILDINGS, IDEAS ARE COMMODITIES, KNOWING IS SEEING, and LOVE IS MAGIC.

To further explore this idea let’s use the conceptual metaphor GOD IS LOVE. This is probably the most important conceptual metaphor within the realm of the Christian religion today: “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8); “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:16b). What this is saying in terms of the conceptual metaphor is that we can better understand God through the terminology and experience of love. Many apologists will advise one not to misinterpret these verses as saying that wherever there is love there is God and therefore the worship of love leads to the worship of God, or even that in some new age way God is literally love or that Love is literally god. But this type of thinking also misses the point of the metaphor; the metaphor defies logic because the metaphor is arguing that God is not literally love but that God can be better understood if we figuratively think about God through the language of love. The GOD IS . . . metaphor is a powerful metaphor that characterizes the entirety of a religion: its thoughts, experiences, and actions. Even on a personal level we mustn’t forget to ask ourselves, “What is our metaphor for God?”

GOD IS                     .

And though metaphors are embedded within a culture’s linguistic heritage, we also have the ability to create new ways of seeing: “New metaphors have the power to create a new reality” (131). Mythologist Joseph Campbell also expressed that, “If you want to change the world, you have to change the metaphor.” So like Shakespeare, who changed the world into a stage, we have the power to re-conceptualize our world through metaphor. What is your metaphor for the world?

THE WORLD IS                     .

Because cultural metaphors are socially constructed, they highlight “certain realities and [hide] others” (132). What this means is, take for instance any of the aforementioned examples, metaphors may help us see and experience one thing in terms of another, yet blind us to other ways of seeing, such as with the ARGUMENT IS WAR example; it hides looking at argument as anything beyond the concept of war. But what if—as Lakoff and Johnson suggest—we look at argument in terms of dance, or, as I would suggest, a journey, or conversation. Conceptually, dancing, journeying, and conversing bring out realities which lay hidden behind the war metaphor. Dance would suggest that argumentation is not a competition but a complimentary process of movement (action) as well as a co-created artistic expression; a journey would suggest that argument is not rivalry but understanding the experience of life through empathetic exchange; a conversation would suggest that those who argue are neither winners nor losers but are participating in a dialogue where each speaker gains valuable information from the transaction. Looking at argument as war hides the realities that argument can also be about co-creation, empathy, and sharing information/knowledge.

“[T]ruth is always relative to a conceptual system that is defined in large part by metaphor” (134); change the metaphor and you change the way we see truth: “Metaphor is one of our most important tools for trying to comprehend partially what cannot be comprehended totally: our feelings, aesthetic experiences, moral practices and spiritual awareness” (134). Metaphor reminds us of the limits of our experience but also helps us to transcend the limitations of our experience. Metaphor is the ultimate aspect of What-If Framing.

Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about.

— Benjamin Lee Whorf, American linguist noted for his hypotheses regarding the relation of language to thinking and cognition and for his studies of Hebrew and Hebrew ideas, 1897- 1941

• What is your analogy, metaphor, or simile for “life,” “love,” “music,” “communication,” “reading,” and “writing” (remember that personal mythology is just as much about looking without to look within as it is looking within to look without)?
• What, then, does this reveal about how you see yourself?
• Where might your analogy, metaphor, or simile start to break down? And why is this contrast important?
• How do you see your major/career in terms of an analogy, metaphor, or simile?
• What is the significance of framing it this way?

Metaphor Analysis Mini-Project: As a separate exercise, consider the lyrics to your favorite song: What analogies, metaphors (explicit and implicit), and similes do they use? Why? And, most importantly, how does the analogy, metaphor, or simile create an argument? If you can’t decide on a song, follow the link to get started: http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/juno/alliwantisyou.htm.

*All biblical quotes are from the ESV translation.

*All italicized keywords and verb phrases are representative of implicit metaphors.

Source(s):

Lakoff, George & Mark Johnson. 1980. “Metaphors We Live By.” Language, Thought, and Culture, U of P Chicago. pp. 124-134. Print.

Mythogem # 2 - Defining Your Worldview

Before you begin answering the following prompt, read: http://www.amazon.com/War-Worldviews-Science-Spirituality-ebook/dp/B004J4X2WG/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376851598&sr=1-1&keywords=war+of+the+worldviews#reader_B004J4X2WG.

Images courtesy of http://www.isolatedinternationals.com & http://www.toptenz.net.

Nothing is more mysterious than another person’s worldview. — Deepak Chopra, Leonard Mlodinow

What, then, is a worldview?

• What are your values with regard to your relationship with Nature (the world around you)?
• What are your values with regard to your relationship with your own body (i.e., exercise and activity)?
• What are your values in terms of your relationship with your inner self (the psychological you)?
• What are your values in terms of your relationships with the people in your life?
• What are your values in terms of your relationship with the Divine or “the unknown mystery of life”?

First off, a worldview expresses the power of both our intellectual and imaginative perspective-taking through two lenses: collectively, as the expression of a culture’s beliefs and values, and, individualistically, as the expression of one’s own personal beliefs and values. The magic is in how each worldview shapes or reshapes our perception of reality. “Wait, . . . you mean reality isn’t objective?” Well, yes and no. If you’re talking about what we experience through our five senses then, to a degree, it is quite objective (yet our senses restrict and constrain our experience as well). But if you’re talking about: Why do we exist?; who are we?; and how are we supposed to live and prepare to die?—these questions are subjective, and their answers are dependent upon a worldview. And the application of those answers varies from person to person; that is the mystery.

Secondly, considering the diverse relationship existing between the spiritual perspective and the scientific perspective, which one best describes your own worldview, or do you find yourself somewhere in the middle? How might you characterize your culture’s worldview using these terms? Is there a discrepancy between your culture’s worldview and your own personal worldview? If so, what, and why?

Next, instead of continuing to contrast these viewpoints, think about how they intersect, overlap, and, possibly, complement one another? In addition, how has experience changed your worldview over time? For instance, consider the following quote from The Mythic Imagination by Stephen Larson:

Keleman wrote, “Experience is connected to myth. Being immersed in self-experience is living one’s own myth, one’s own life story. . . . As our connectedness to living deepens, we learn that experience is the teacher. And experience cannot be programmed. We are our own mythmakers, knowingly or unknowingly.”

Surely, we do not think the same as we did when we were infants, for with experience comes both new life-lessons and perspectives, changing our view of what it means to be human, to be ourselves.

However, if you’re still having trouble finding a place to start, list and categorize some of the changes you would like to see in the world (the external) as well as in your personal life (the internal). This process will soon reveal key aspects of your worldview.

It’s also helpful to engage others’ beliefs through a pattern of disagree/agree to challenge what you yourself really believe. So, on what points do you agree with one of the authors, and where do you disagree, and why? Remember that when you invite someone to understand your worldview it is more beneficial to approach them in a manner of respect and discovery, not of war (consider the rhetorical approaches that the authors have used in this book so far).

All in all, how do you embody your worldview in your social life and work life? And what does your worldview say about your major/career choice: Is it spiritually fulfilling, scientifically fulfilling, or both?

Furthermore, how can an analysis of a person’s or character’s worldview be useful for understanding the purpose and intent of a text?

Mythogem # 1 - What’s In a Name?: The Power In Your Name

We identify ourselves by our names. When asked, “Who are you?” around the globe we automatically respond with our names as if that says it all. Indeed it does, as in each and every culture, our name gives others an impression of who we are, whether on a conscious or subconscious level. Our name is supposed to convey the message of completeness. It is as if when someone knows our names, they should know us. No one answers the question of ‘Who are you?’ by describing the characteristics that define self, or by stating how he or she thinks or feels. However, that is exactly what is hidden and can be revealed in our individual names.

— Sharón Lynn Wyeth, Author of Know the Name; Know the Person

Image courtesy of http://www.openplay.co.uk.

For this journal entry take the time to research and investigate the origin and meaning (etymology) of your name: What does your name mean, and what does that mean to/for you?

→    http://dictionary.reference.com/

→    http://www.etymonline.com/index.php

→    http://www.behindthename.com/

For instance, might you be able to narrate a short story about how your name reveals who you are, or share the story behind your naming?

Dream reader, Ariadne Green provides an insightful example of what this genre of expository narrative might look like: http://www.keen.com/documents/works/articles/spiritual/the-power-of-your-name.asp.

Even, beyond these factors, what has your name come to mean personally as a symbol of you? In the end, how will you make a name for yourself, and find yourself within your name?

Furthermore, as a result of magical thinking, “[c]hildren learn to associate their names with themselves and identify themselves by name. Thus we are our names”—an association we maintain throughout adulthood (“What Does My Name Mean? The real Power in a name”).

In addition, Ariadne Green provides a critical, cultural commentary regarding the meaning behind names:

I usually make it a point to ask each person I meet what their name means. Nine times out of ten, they give a clueless look and say something like, “Well, I don’t know.” Another common response is, “I read the meaning once, but I can’t remember it.” For most in this culture their name holds no power, no meaning and no value. (Green)

This reveals an important challenge for us to re-embrace the meaning of our name so that it once again regains power, meaning, and value. On the other hand, “[i]n some old cultures, you were given a child-name at birth, then later received your adult name when you were old enough” (Niizato). This mythical ritual, thus, acknowledges the transformation of one’s spirit with one’s name—a change in fate or destiny—such as with the biblical examples of Abram to Abraham, Simon to Peter, or Saul to Paul. To speak more literally, “[w]ords have the power we give them, without us to decipher and use the names they have no power. The same is true of the mystical languages, the only power they have is the power we give” (“Understanding the power of names – Excommunicate.Net”). Yet whether or not we believe that we give our names power or that our names already carry power, our names tell a story.

Additional Quotes for Reflection:

Words have meaning and names have power.

— Author Unknown

An object encounters its image, an object encounters its name. It may be that the image and the name of the object encounter each other.

— Rene Magritte, from “Words and Images”

The name is the thing, and the true name is the true thing. To speak the name is to control the thing.

— Ursula K. Le Guin, from the The Rule of Names

Source(s):

Green, Ariadne. “The Power of Your Name.” The Power of Your Name. Keen.com, 12 Oct. 2010. Web. 14 Sept. 2013.

Niizato, Hiroki. “The Power in a Name.” Hiroki Niizato Astrology — Be True to Yourself - Holistic Astrological Consultation. n.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2013.

“Understanding the power of names – Excommunicate.Net.” Excommunicate.Net. excommunicate.net, n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2013.

“What Does My Name Mean? The real Power in a name.” Looking for your Purpose in Life, the Meaning of a Name, Meaning of Baby Names, or how to Make a Name Change?. Kabalarian Philosophy, Society of Kabalarians, n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2013.

*In no way do these sources reflect my own beliefs; they are only used to create multiple perspectives on the subject matter.