(no subject)
People are so hung up on metaphors, and all these little ones to describe their situation, so why not just get a big metaphor for life? That way everything can relate to this ultimate metaphor, and you can work things out easier. Observe:
Our lives are related to fish in the water, but we can also be fishers. The ultimate goal of a salmon is to make the journey upstream to lay eggs before dying, just like our ultimate goal is to climb the ladder (of careers, love, property, wealth, etc) to our own ultimate goals in life. The salmon faces many struggles in its attempts to swim upstream. For a start, the current is flowing against it all the time. Secondly, it faces many predators intent on achieving their own goals of receiving food, and in the process denying the salmon of reaching its. The journey upstream may also be seen as our journey through life. The salmon is born, and when young, goes with the flow downstream, matures in the sea, then makes its final journey upstream to its birth place to spawn. Many people conform until they reach a period of "self" in their lives, even going against the flow, and just as some salmon never make the journey upstream, some people never reach this period in their lives. The salmon then makes the struggle, sometimes up to 1000km, to its birth place to start the cycle again with its own offspring. In the same way, we all return to the state we were in before we were born, and we may also begin to share resemblant behaviour between our very young years and our very final years - increased dependancy and a liking for the simpler things in life. The salmon's stomach begins to disintegrate as it begins the journey upstream. It knows it will die, and its body prepares it for maximum reproductive capacity for the spawning. In the same way, our bodies physically show signs of growing old, preparing us for our fate.
Like fish, we swim around in the sea like headless (aquatic, gill-equipped) chickens, meeting and passing many others, sticking with certain schools, the ones that offer us the most protection and pleasure. Sometimes there will be some kind of organisation to our love lives, where we are more like fish and fishers on a river. Some of us will cast our nets across the river in the hope that we can catch the most number of fish, eventually finding one good one out of all that pass, and some of us will cast in a line to catch a specific fish. Some will try and catch fish on their own side of the river, where the waters are more familiar but fishermen are frowned upon for following such unroutine practice - it is thought to deplete fish stocks, however actually has no bearing on the levels of fish in the river. Most will cast their hooks to the far side, following convention but missing out on the benefits of fishing in the middle of the river, where more fish will eye the bait.
Most fishers will not try to cast their rods or nets too far upstream or downstream of their own position, as they are aware that they may catch no fish at all if too far upstream, where there are very few fish that will be fooled by his bait, or too many fish of bad quality meat downstream, where there are more fish. Some unwise fishers may decide to catch every fish he sees, and only after taking time to examine the fish in more detail, will decide that it's a bad fish and throw it back in. He may waste time in doing so, missing the good fish in the process. Others may be too afraid to pull the hook out of the mouth, and decide not to catch any fish at all, missing out on all the benefits of fish. Some may never know the benefits of the fish they are missing until they have tried it.
Some will catch one type of fish and eat only that for the rest of their lives. This way, they are able to extract the long-term nutritional benefits of sticking to this type of fish, unlike the fishers who eat different types. Others still will process the fish so that only the a small percentage of the fish, the flesh, is left to eat and will miss out on the nutrients of eating all the other parts. In the short term, the flesh tastes good, but over time nutrients are being lost. Also, some fishers will use only brightly coloured bait to catch their fish. Many young fish will be fooled briefly, but in the end the fisher will catch less as the older, more experienced fish will know to steer clear. The fisher who has a great knowledge of the fish will have the most successful catch. He will know where to fish, what to use, and how to coax them.
Many fish will attempt to climb upstream on the side with most eddies and hence the least current downstream, finding the path of least resistance the easiest. Others may never realise there is an easier way up, and stick to their own side of the river, afraid to veer off course and risk losing out initially in trying a new approach. Others may stick to the harder side, fearful that they will be rejected by the school they are swimming with. If the fish switches sides to the easier side of the river to ascend, it will probably be rejected by the school, but will end up a lot further upstream.
Finally, a fish out of water will soon die. A fish is not a land-based creature and so it would be foolish for it to try to act like one.
Our lives are related to fish in the water, but we can also be fishers. The ultimate goal of a salmon is to make the journey upstream to lay eggs before dying, just like our ultimate goal is to climb the ladder (of careers, love, property, wealth, etc) to our own ultimate goals in life. The salmon faces many struggles in its attempts to swim upstream. For a start, the current is flowing against it all the time. Secondly, it faces many predators intent on achieving their own goals of receiving food, and in the process denying the salmon of reaching its. The journey upstream may also be seen as our journey through life. The salmon is born, and when young, goes with the flow downstream, matures in the sea, then makes its final journey upstream to its birth place to spawn. Many people conform until they reach a period of "self" in their lives, even going against the flow, and just as some salmon never make the journey upstream, some people never reach this period in their lives. The salmon then makes the struggle, sometimes up to 1000km, to its birth place to start the cycle again with its own offspring. In the same way, we all return to the state we were in before we were born, and we may also begin to share resemblant behaviour between our very young years and our very final years - increased dependancy and a liking for the simpler things in life. The salmon's stomach begins to disintegrate as it begins the journey upstream. It knows it will die, and its body prepares it for maximum reproductive capacity for the spawning. In the same way, our bodies physically show signs of growing old, preparing us for our fate.
Like fish, we swim around in the sea like headless (aquatic, gill-equipped) chickens, meeting and passing many others, sticking with certain schools, the ones that offer us the most protection and pleasure. Sometimes there will be some kind of organisation to our love lives, where we are more like fish and fishers on a river. Some of us will cast our nets across the river in the hope that we can catch the most number of fish, eventually finding one good one out of all that pass, and some of us will cast in a line to catch a specific fish. Some will try and catch fish on their own side of the river, where the waters are more familiar but fishermen are frowned upon for following such unroutine practice - it is thought to deplete fish stocks, however actually has no bearing on the levels of fish in the river. Most will cast their hooks to the far side, following convention but missing out on the benefits of fishing in the middle of the river, where more fish will eye the bait.
Most fishers will not try to cast their rods or nets too far upstream or downstream of their own position, as they are aware that they may catch no fish at all if too far upstream, where there are very few fish that will be fooled by his bait, or too many fish of bad quality meat downstream, where there are more fish. Some unwise fishers may decide to catch every fish he sees, and only after taking time to examine the fish in more detail, will decide that it's a bad fish and throw it back in. He may waste time in doing so, missing the good fish in the process. Others may be too afraid to pull the hook out of the mouth, and decide not to catch any fish at all, missing out on all the benefits of fish. Some may never know the benefits of the fish they are missing until they have tried it.
Some will catch one type of fish and eat only that for the rest of their lives. This way, they are able to extract the long-term nutritional benefits of sticking to this type of fish, unlike the fishers who eat different types. Others still will process the fish so that only the a small percentage of the fish, the flesh, is left to eat and will miss out on the nutrients of eating all the other parts. In the short term, the flesh tastes good, but over time nutrients are being lost. Also, some fishers will use only brightly coloured bait to catch their fish. Many young fish will be fooled briefly, but in the end the fisher will catch less as the older, more experienced fish will know to steer clear. The fisher who has a great knowledge of the fish will have the most successful catch. He will know where to fish, what to use, and how to coax them.
Many fish will attempt to climb upstream on the side with most eddies and hence the least current downstream, finding the path of least resistance the easiest. Others may never realise there is an easier way up, and stick to their own side of the river, afraid to veer off course and risk losing out initially in trying a new approach. Others may stick to the harder side, fearful that they will be rejected by the school they are swimming with. If the fish switches sides to the easier side of the river to ascend, it will probably be rejected by the school, but will end up a lot further upstream.
Finally, a fish out of water will soon die. A fish is not a land-based creature and so it would be foolish for it to try to act like one.