In the lead-up to Gathering ’11 I wrote a post on the SSE Australia blog called “8 (non-war) Metaphors for building a better future“. This post was driven partly by an interest in metaphor, but also by a strong desire to be conscious in the language we are choosing in describing and creating futures.

The title of the post looked at the prolific use of war-like metaphors for not only describing a change process, but also in creating it. This is the power of metaphor. Metaphors do more than describe reality; they also go a long way to creating it.

I find metaphor to be a powerful tool in communicating, and so often it is done unconsciously. I am on the look out for more metaphors that are shaping our world, with a view to create a sort-of library of metaphors. Please comment with suggestions, ideas and places to look….