The Power of Metaphors
How the metaphors we use subtly shapes our life
The metaphors we use to describe our development will implicitly define the kind of work we believe we should be doing.
Are we on "a path"and must continue to "move forward" and not be "led astray"?
We can then wonder "how far" we have come on the path. We can take notice when we have "stopped moving".
Or are we "at war" with our physicality and only one side can "win"?
We must then constantly be "on watch" for the "enemy". Conflict becomes an inherent part of our self-definition. But at least we won't be taken by surprise.
Perhaps, we view our development as asymphony, and our work is to “maintain balance and harmony”?
We use metaphors constantly but never carefully consider our choices. But each metaphor will draw our attention to a certain kind of work (overcoming, balancing, progressing) that will determine how we define our self-development.
Is Teshuva Itself a Metaphor?
Teshuva literally means "to return".
What does the metaphor ofreturning implicitly require us to do? Where are we returning to?
And how does thinking of our journey as a journey back to i.e. as going back to somewhere we have been to before, differ from thinking of our journey as ajourney to i.e. to somewhere we have not been to yet?
נטילת ידיים And The Brain
But why does the metaphor we use matter? Who cares?
Well, the brain does.
According to a 2006 study,our brains can't distinguish between a man being a"dirty scoundrel"and"in need of a bath" .
Participants recalled personal ethical or unethical deeds from their past. They were then offered a choice of a pencil or an antiseptic wipe (verified to be equally attractive in normal conditions). Participants who recalled the unethical deed were twice as likely to take the antiseptic wipe than those who recalled the ethical deed. When they did clean themselves, they felt less guilt than when they didn't.
In other words,moralguilt leads to the desire tophysicallywash oneself andphysicallywashing makes us feelmorallycleansed because our brain does not fully distinguish between themashal and the nimshal- the metaphor and its interpretation.
It's what helps makeטבילהandנטילת ידייםso powerful.
And so the right metaphor matters because if used consciously it can become an aid in our development. If we develop ourvisceralandphysiologicaldisgust towards injustice we are more likely to take a stand.
If we develop ourvisceralandphysiologicalexcitement to "step out to greet the shabbat bride" like we greeted our bride on our wedding day.
If we develop ourvisceralandphysiologicalfeeling of startling awake when we hear the sound of the shofar, which as the Rambam writes, is meant to stir us from our "slumbering in the vanities of the year" (Mishneh Torah Hilchot Teshuva 3:4).
Conclusion
As human beings we do not live solely in the world of ideas. We live in a world of images, associations, memories, emotional and physiological reactions, and preferences.
And so if we are careful about which metaphor we choose to use and if we are careful to pay attention to the metaphors that we did choose, then...well that's half the battle.