What’s life to you?
If you were given a chance to choose your favorite life metaphor, what would it be?
Do you agree with Forrest Gump’s mother that life is “a box of chocolates” because “you never know what you’re going to get”?
Or do you prefer the phrase from the 1930’s tune that “life is just a bowl of cherries”?
Though simply stated, each conveys a very different view. A “box” implies mystery, as do the pieces of chocolate inside. We don’t know what is in a closed box and we don’t know what’s in a covered chocolate.
A “bowl” of cherries is completely in view, as are its contents. We know what those cherries will taste like and we know how many we have.
So depending on which metaphor you prefer, we could probably make a guess that you’re an optimist if you like singing about a bowl of cherries and a pessimist or skeptic if you’re a fan of Mrs. Gump’s quote (and afraid of getting one of those chocolate covered cherries!)
On one hand…I’m a chocolate lover, NOT a cherry lover. AND, on the other hand, I’m also known as an optimist! So…there’s obviously more to choosing a metaphor than it might appear.
It’s no wonder folks try so many comparisons in an effort to get a handle on a topic as big as “what’s life?” Life is complicated and intricate!
For example both Karl Marx and Henry Ford, of all people seems to agree. Marx said “Life is working” and Ford said “Life is work.”
So here’s some other choices for you to consider!
My favorite idea, however, comes from the Jewish Theological Seminary: “A life is a single letter in the alphabet. It can be meaningless. Or it can be part of a great meaning.”
I’m curious as to how YOU would describe life!