Play Ball! (Literally & Figuratively)

Bad Metaphors Can Obscure Concepts, But Good Ones Help Us Grow

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

I threw out my TV more than a decade ago, and didn’t sign up for any of the hot, pay-monthly, streaming services.

I’m better for having eliminated the biggest push-media culprits from my daily life. I don’t miss “watching the news” nor “reading the paper” (including the online version of “the paper”).

Alas, as a sports fan and former sports-media professional, I do occasionally yearn for the days of watching sports on TV. I try to catch the rare free-streaming game available online, but the pickings are slim.

To my pleasant surprise, Major League Baseball ran a promotion on its website this past weekend: Nearly all the Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday games could be streamed for free on web and mobile devices.

My computer was busy!

Metaphor or Met-against? (womp womp woooooomp)

My mind was also busy (and not merely from keeping track of all the baseball games I was switching between, heh).

I’ve been pondering the prevalence of well-known metaphors used for exalting groups and extinguishing individuality. You know the standard slogans: “no person is an island” (taken from John Donne’s poem, No Man Is an Island); “we’re all in the same boat”; “links in a chain”; etc.

I contend that those concepts bring more confusion than clarity.

For instance, in Donne’s poem, the all-encompassing landmass is given primacy, with the individual’s identity — a mere “clod” of territory — coming entirely from its place in the whole. The poem’s main point is the impact of loss, but that call to compassion is sullied by its framing.

Similarly, the boat cliche asserts the container as the fundamental principle, with a fatalistic view of the container’s occupants.

And links, made to be practically indistinguishable from each other, get their purpose entirely from the chain.

Photo by henry perks on Unsplash

Anarchists/voluntarists — and Christians, I’d say — should know better than to agree with these visions of humanity.

Yes, we’re social creatures. But each of us owns his/her actions as individuals.

Yes, groups exist. But the group has no character, no capacity, no rights that its members wouldn’t have individually.

These concepts can be difficult enough for some people to understand, without adding the challenge of figurative language. So, should people avoid anything that isn’t strictly literal when discussing important topics?

I say, No!

Figurative language can broaden a person’s perspectives and introduce different ways of grappling with information.

As a Christian, I’m very familiar with helpful figures of speech, because Jesus uses them frequently in His public ministry. Most often referred to as parables, these multi-layered metaphors begin with something the listeners already know, and then draw a connection to something Jesus is trying to teach.

For instance, the kingdom of God (or kingdom of heaven) is described as …

• a mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18-19)

• a great feast (Matthew 22:1-14; Luke 14:15-24)

• a generous landowner hiring workers for his vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16)

… and several other examples recorded in the canonical Gospels.

All of these serve the purpose of getting the audience’s attention and then spurring their imaginations. The approach meets people where they are and brings the possibility of mental, emotional and spiritual growth.

The map is not the terrain

But even the best examples of figurative language have their limits.

Much like how the blueprints are not the house, and the sheet music is not the song — so, too, the metaphor is not the real thing.

The map is not the terrain.

Substack AI-generated image of a fantasy-world treasure map.

The map can, however, guide you along the terrain, provided that:

1. the map is accurate, despite its constraints;

2. you know how to read the map and its symbols;

3. you actually embark on the journey over the terrain (merely consulting the map doesn’t get a person anywhere).

The tropes about islands, boats and chains fail at the very first requirement. A better metaphor for human interaction — one that respects individuality and interconnection — is the aforementioned object of my weekend binge-watching: baseball!

Baseball is a team sport, but the games are a series of events that only individuals can bring to fruition.

A batter must step up to the plate as an individual. As long as he remains in the lineup, no teammate can swing the bat or run the bases for him.

A defensive player to whom a ball is hit must make the play on his own. No teammate can move his glove for him, nor grip and throw the ball for him.

Yes, participants can affect each other’s performances, and events exist within the context of other events (“situational hitting” is considered a high-level skill). More than one teammate can be involved in a particular ball-in-play. But each player must fail or succeed according to his own merits in the moment.

So, pay attention. Put forth the effort.

Own your attitudes and actions.

Develop your individuality. Develop your cognitive empathy.

Be open to new information and new ways of acquiring it.

Set boundaries. Make connections.

Ask for and offer to help.

Dare to step onto the field. Play ball!

I literally want to read your Comments …

… so figuratively holler at me!

Do you have a TV or streaming TV service? Do you watch it more, less, or about the same as you used to?

Do you like literal explanations? Do you like figurative expressions?

Who’s your all-time favorite baseball player? Favorite player who’s still active? Did you ever get to see them in-person?

Anything else you want to mention or ask about?

Share your thoughts below …