The metaphor an authority - not a servile gown
What
is a metaphor? Jon Tolaas, a Norwegian poet and an author on different topics, also known
as a prominent essayist on dream work, says that a "metaphor" by the word's own
meaning is the carrier, a vehicle, to a "meaning". Other authors will say that a
metaphor is helping you getting your ideas to become clearer, and will also help you to
communicate your thoughts. When
I started this essay it was triggered off by my own concept of "the birdbox
metaphor", - and in the beginning that was to have a "picture" to explain
how I had turned from what I felt had been very much the "sergeant teaching
manner" (instruction, control) addressing a group or a crowd audience, - and how I
gradually had turned to a style of more "active listening" and a focussing on
the individual, and how then to encourage and support the own resources of the
student/client. To me this was a very important discovery which I felt made myself a
better teacher, more orientated towards a thrilling discovery and finding of the other
person and this person's special resources, background and qualifications. My
sergeant style could have come close to a forcing attitude, and I was so happy that I more
and more succeeded to discover the students one by one, and that I had not to fear what
stuff they were made of and what stuff they were bringing, - before I had closed down my
teaching life and retired. That
was what the "birdbox metaphor" was about - I thought. In
that way I handled the metaphor more like a dress or cover, matching my own idea, which I
thought I had brought to a nice presentation. Some
of my reading, however, made me feel a bit embarrassed, even troubled. Somebody had said
something like “the metaphor will help make the idea clearer”. Did the metaphor
have its own energy and authority? Was it not only an impressive gown to “serve”
me and my great thinking, - did I bring into my house a high currency connection that was
for me adjust to and for me to “serve”? Honestly
I thought that one needs to take control over a metaphor, because it seems so easily to
bring about all sorts of ideas and brightness, - these hares running so freely could be
called “associations”, also they very valuable! Then it will be about to sort
between metaphors and associations, - and the metaphor is inviting you to keep working on! I am not sure about this, but this far the “birdbox metaphor” has widened and empowered itself, and made its meaning flourish into an ecological diversity. Could it also be that a metaphor will have different levels, and some of them more or less strictly a private meaning, that is more to help you communicate with yourself and not necessarily with others. Thanks
to your comments and replies, my netfriends, I have learnt a lot more about the birdbox
metaphor. First of all, however, I will mention something my supervisor talked to me about
concerning my counseling service: Therapy
is very much about healing a wound, bring a loss to an acceptance – it is not about
keeping the wound open and to maintain the loss to be a never-ending lamenting. And
this is very precisely to a birdbox experience: I always feel sorry when the bird children
one day suddenly and collectively have left my nice box. I would like the birds to inhabit
the box all the year. Then, however, it had changed to a cage. When to young birds leave
the box it is to grow and become stronger and able to help themselves – and to face
the life and death challenges of winter. 2. To play each ball A
mail from a cyber friend was very much to my
first idea about not being a sergeant, here put into an I-saying (because I find it quite
to the point): "The
birdbox metaphor is about how I try to rise the counseling
challenges I am faced with, trying to become more clever as a ballplayer, -
I try to play each ball as it comes to me, using what I know this far about the game and
by my honest intention to be aware of the other players." 3. The both way entrance And another cyberfriend brings this musing, turning the birdbox outside-in! After talking about the sad and difficult things we have to face and get along with, in our indivudal life and our minds, we will be glad to learn about the both way entrance: Just as the wooden exterior protects the interior of the birdbox, there is also a hole at the entrance to allow a coming and going to get food and a safe harbour from the elements inside."
18th May 2003 Enok Kippersund |
