In Defense of Metaphors

Saturday, August 19 2006 @ 08:04 PDT

I have to say that there's an awful lot of hot air on the Internet... and despite our name, we really aren't in the business of making more of it. Clarity is often endangered by overly colorful writing.

Take metaphors, for example. Metaphors can either illuminate or obfuscate. Most of the time, they make things clear as mud. This guy, Kevin Ehlers, has a great song about it.

When you come right down to it, YouTube is a microcosm of the Internet as a whole: a 24 hour open mic night, broadcast internationally. Give the public a potentially worldwide audience and you'd better have earplugs close at hand. Sure, there are those talented few who really wow the crowds (nice song, Kevin!) but more than one person with an overdeveloped sense of their own ability is bound to grab the mic, strut to the front of the stage, and belt out a wobbly version of "Wind Beneath My Wings." Where's Simon Cowell when you need him?

But I didn't really want to talk to you today about the warm air masses rising from the general population. I wanted to offer an explanation for our name. As the song illustrates, metaphors can be silly things, but there's a real point behind all of this talk of fire. It's all about an understanding of the physics of ideas: proven ways to make the best of your ideas practically spread themselves.

You see, ideas are potential wildfires.

1. If ideas don't have proper fuel, they'll go out before they get anywhere. Simply stated, it's all about what you have to offer. Ideas without substance may produce a lot of smoke, but there has to be something of value there for true, lasting ignition to occur. The fuel of ideas is value: something that your target audience needs and wants.
2. If ideas don't have sufficient oxygen, they'll end up smoldering and eventually go out completely. The oxygen of ideas is fresh content. You can't burn the same things over and over again. You have to stoke the fire with new fuel, constantly... but you don't want to throw out the hot coals of tried and true content until they truly become ash.
3. If ideas don't have a steady supply of moving air, they'll never get anywhere. Small brush fires usually don't become wildfires unless they are backed by an awful lot of wind. Ideas usually don't spread very far unless they have a driving force behind them that enables adaptation to changing audiences and circumstances.

When a wildfire of an idea reaches a certain point, it takes on a life of its own. It is able to continue to exist as long as it has fuel. It is able to breathe, as long as it has a steady supply of fresh oxygen. It is able to move and grow, as long as the air is moving.

There are few things on earth like fire to change things. Imagine the best of your ideas, dreams, visions... changing lives. Isn't that what it's all about?

We want you to know that we believe in you. Every one of the greatest ideas of all time began with a simple spark in the heart and mind of one person. Whether you're a blogger or a business, a non-profit or a ministry, Firewind Productions is about providing ways to help you take your ideas from kindling to combustion. How can we help you?

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