Are our metaphors disappearing like the melting snow?
Susan says, “Our last set of posts has featured antique objects, outmoded machinery and obsolete workplaces. They are loved by history preservationists, nostalgic train lovers, and collectors but they have no utilitarian purpose in our modern world. Will train tracks go the way of the dodo, too? I will be sorry when the day comes that I can’t use train tracks in a presentation because no longer does anyone recognize what they are. To me they are the great metaphor for moving on, the future, and change. These tracks are harbingers the disappearing past. No train travels these rails any more. They are rusted and bent in ways that don’t speak of careful maintenance. It’s disheartening to think of the lumber, labor and steel that was sunk into the building of this relic. What once was the symbol of American empire is rusting and rotting away.”
Lucia says, “Yes, the tracks are rusted and unused, but the image is still a powerful one. For me, it brings up thoughts of what the future may hold just around the bend. An optimist will rush into this unknown this hope and delight. A pessimist will hold back fearing what dangers lurk beyond what’s in sight. A photo like this in your presentation could inspire a discussion on how these different perspectives can affect an outcome. Another discussion could be how intersecting ideas come together to create a new direction. Or come back to the fact that these are rusted, unused tracks to discuss the waste of leaving good ideas behind for newer, shinier, maybe even less efficient solutions. So, until this metaphor disappears, as Susan fears, use it.”
