Everyone is too literal these days. Literally.

What do I mean by this? It’s taken for granted that what you say is what you mean, despite the fact that this often isn’t true. Have you ever been in an argument with someone and blurted out something hurtful (typically out of spite), and instantly regretted saying it? Of course you have. You’re human, and you live in the real world; a messy place that tests the mettle of all living creatures. Others, however, spend their lives online, and in this virtual world, hurtful words are immortalized to be used against perceived enemies at any opportune time. The internet these days feels more like a record of your moral failings useful only to those that despise you.

Nuance is dead. Attempting to understand the arguments of your opponents is a crime,  the punishment of which is administered by social media mobs that hunger for self-righteousness. If they can’t destroy your life and reputation, these faceless ghouls aim to forever smear you lest you mend your ways, and return dutifully to the fold.

Maybe you think I’m being a bit dramatic. I’ve heard people say that cancel culture is exaggerated, that even if it does exist, it’s only being used against the truly deserving. The problem with this assessment is that it incorrectly assumes that we are properly equipped to judge others. By participating in it, we make ourselves judge, jury, and executioner by proxy.

This is where the power of metaphor comes in. A metaphor is a speech technique that demonstrates the moral truth of a proposition by using analogies. Rather than get bogged down in the weeds of reality (which is often messy and incomprehensible), a good metaphor can engage the reader the way a literal story cannot, for it eliminates the biases and preconceptions we have by giving us a neutral medium to express ideas. Aristotle said of metaphor that it makes learning pleasant. I contend that in today’s politically saturated world, it may in fact be the only tool to reach others and change minds

I’ve been devoting more and more time to storytelling rather than lecturing. In fact, peppered throughout the site are short stories that the reader will find are part of a larger project I am working on. As some of you can attest, rewriting the Bible has taught me the power of story, and more importantly, how metaphor speaks through multiple generations. I’m done arguing with people. Philosophy is dead, politics is poison, but stories are forever.