Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Metaphors
As I can't sleep, and my muscles are tightening up, and as my head hits the pillow, it seems that my mind is still cranking. It's spurning out lots of stuff, and some of them look good. As long as I can't sleep and there's good stuff, why waste it trying to sleep over it. To hell with it, I said a few moments ago. I got up from my pillow, switched on the moniotr and typed this blog entry.The are two metaphors I'd like to discuss. First is the Power Rangers metaphor, second is the Hall metaphor.
Mind you that I don't specify anything here. Everything is open and label-less. There are no labels carrying the description. Labelling destroys the underlying meaning of an item. Yes, labelling makes it easier to recognise and relate. But it's all up to you.
Power Rangers, or in their native Japan's true name, Super Sentai shows, is about a group of youngsters, usually five of them, having super powers and protecting the earth or something-something. (i'm gonna use the term "power rangers" loosely here, to denote the team of five. Usually I use the term "Hero Lima," in my native tongue. But this is an english-based blog, but the fact that "hero lima" doesn't sound that good in here. Cheh.) I'm not gonna base this on a specific show, but this is more of a generalization of the group. Frankly, you have to have a basic knowledge of these shows.
Basically the five of them have different personalities. The Red Ranger is the leader-type. Strong, and can lead the team to victory. Usually he is the one to call the cannons to kill the monsters and the giant mecha to stomp the nearby town. Then there's the Blue Ranger. The quiet one, the geeky one. But don't count him out of the fight. He can fight like a warrior underneath that quiet interior. The Black Ranger is the anti-social type. He likes being alone rather than hanging with these color-coded losers. He's a bit of a hot-head, sometimes clashing with the Red Ranger. But in the end, as the spirit of teamwork goes, he always there to help his teammates. The Yellow Ranger is the jack-of-all-trades type. Can cook, can dance, can kick butt. Usually the voice of reason in the group. Lastly, there's the Pink Ranger. The ditz in the group. The clueless one. Sometimes one ask, why the hell is she in the team? Oh, but she is important. Aside from being a capable warrior, the Pink Ranger also provides a different view of a situation. And of course, to top it off, there's the teacher persona, guiding and teaching the rangers in their way of fighting and living.
This is just a gross representation of a team, from my psyche. The basic thing is the same, five people in a team, color-coded, saving the world. Whoever you describe is your own. This is my interpretation of a "Hero Lima" team.
So ask yourself, "which Ranger am I?"
Oh yeah, my first yawn, at 4.22am. Now I'm getting close to sleepy. Let me type off the next metaphor, The Hall.
The rules still apply. This is my own interpretation. Your interpretation may be different. That's okay. And no labels. Labels destroy the meaning blablabla.
You have a hall. No matter what hall it is. It might be the CLC for the MMU types, it might be the DSB for the UiTM types, or it could be some school hall type, or it could even be a great hall like a theater hall type. Whatever. No labels. And there's an event happening there. A theater play? A singing competition? A live telecast of Forum Perdana? Whatever. No labels.
So you have a hall and an event. There might be an audience. There might be chairs. There might be hawkers outside the hall. All of this is happening in and around the vicinity of the hall. The question is, where are you, and what's the reason you are there? Are you the audience, sitting in the middle of the people, anonymously cheering for the event up in the stage? Or are you up on the stage itself? The great thespian of the world in action? Or are you behind the scenes? Or are you the director? Are you the guy who shines the spotlight, sitting way up there at the balcony? Are you the reporter who's covering the event, or are you somewhere backstage, carrying the props? Are you totally immersed by the event and the hall itself, or are you ignoring everything that's happening in the hall and are outside, smoking a cheap one? You can be anybody listed or not. Whatever the role you feel like it, that is you. The one thing you cannot be is the owner of the hall. He sits way over there in his office, handling the affairs of his hall.
The interpretation is up to you.
Wah, a long one, this is. And I'm not even near sleepy. All i get are tired arms, an a mind that is still churning. Go figure.
Ichiban
*click*