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Life Scripts and Metaphors

Philosophers from all walks of life have burned out innumerable brain cells pondering over the riddle; ‘what is the meaning of Life?’


Since the dawn of civilization emperors kings and queens have built ingenious structures from the blood sweat and tears of their minions in the hope of gleaning some insight into the mystery of our existence.


In a modern day society of empowered freethinking individualism, we have greater reign to express our individuality and posit our beliefs to the teeming masses that jostle and compete for recognition, than ever.


In order to navigate through life without a brain explosion, it is simpler to reduce our search for meaning into basic scripts and metaphors.


Body adornment, including piercings, tattoos and painted faces, have been a symbol of self-expression since we vacated the trees and set forth on two legs chasing some answers.


There is some irony in the fact that consumerism has helped reduce our Individuality to the bland slogans of our clothing brand and bumper stickers on our cars. Inevitably puerile and banal, yet evidence to some degree of what we stand for.


It has become trendy recently to tattoo slogans across bodies. “Such is Life” for example. These labels become self-fulfilling prophecies that can come to define our life experiences. The above example, while outwardly, a devil may care attitude, does perpetuate and reinforce the belief that life is something that happens to us, rather than something that we shape and bend to our will.


The question I am prompting is this. Do we choose our life scripts and labels or are they woven into our lives as a by-product of our peer group influence?
What’s it all about? Life that jigsaw puzzled mystery that consumes so much of our waking hours contemplating and deciphering?


The thought for the day this scribbler is throwing into the melting pot is this:
The metaphor that we use to describe our life defines the meaning of our life. The degree to which we align ourselves to this image determines how much sense and meaning we perceive.


If Love is a battlefield, if you’re an accident waiting to happen, if life is a bed of roses, or a journey, or a gift, or a purgatory, then our sense of fulfillment will be related to how faithfully we adhere to these scripts.


If you could choose a metaphor to express your attitude to life, that would describe what you stand for, what would you choose? Just a thought!


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