Читать книгу Seamless - Sorman-Nilsson Anders - Страница 8

The mathematics of metaphor are fairly simple: x = y. For example, in Shakespearean terms, ‘Juliet is the sun'. Now, we all know that she is not literally the sun, but that she has the sun's characteristics; attributes such as ‘warm', ‘glowing', ‘bright' and ‘beautiful' are bestowed upon Juliet by virtue of the metaphor. But while this mathematics may seem simple, our use of metaphor has a powerful influence on how we think about our lives. And, as I expand on later in this book, text (ideas) and textiles (fabrics) have always been closely linked, both literally and metaphorically.

For example, interestingly in the English language, we can both weave stories and tell lies by reference to textiles. As noted by the English Language and Usage website (in their analysis of the metaphor ‘Thought is a thread, and the raconteur is a spinner of yarns'), expressions like ‘loom of language', ‘weave a story/spell', ‘thread of discourse' and ‘warp and woof' indicate textile–story associations, while ‘fabricate evidence', ‘spin a yarn', ‘tissue of lies', ‘pull the wool over your eyes', and ‘out of whole cloth' indicate that textile metaphors are morally neutral and can be used for authentic tales as well as the invention of false anecdotes to serve the interests of the raconteur. Metaphors can be a useful mental shortcut, by explaining x in reference to y, and, given our age-old connection to textiles – their production, their constituent parts, their art and science, and characteristics – the traditions of textiles are still highly relevant in a modern context, in the expression of ideas about the future, and in gaining buy-in to something as intangible and abstract as strategy.

Even a word such as ‘context', used in storytelling, news, debates, dialogue and therapy, is an example of the intermeshing of text and textiles. Context comes from the Latin root of ‘con' (together) + ‘texere', thus denoting ‘together to weave', meaning the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood. ‘Pretext' is another such intermeshing. This again comes from a Latin root – ‘prae' (before) + texere, indicating ‘before to weave' and meaning a reason given in justification of a course of action that is not the real reason. ‘Subtext' is a third example, and means an underlying and often distinct theme in a piece of writing or conversation. And the idea of ‘subtle' nuances in a conversation comes from the ‘sub-tela', from Latin ‘subtilis' (thin, fine, precise) or a ‘thread passing under the warp'.

These links between text and textiles lead us to the topic for this book (everything is connected). While the idea of ‘seamless' has both a literal and a metaphorical meaning, its origins, of course, lie in textiles. According to Merriam-Webster, the literal meaning of the word seamless is ‘having no seams'; its metaphorical meaning is ‘having no awkward transitions, interruptions, or indications of disparity'. More simply, Merriam-Webster defines seamless as ‘moving from one thing to another easily and without any interruptions or problems' and as ‘perfect and having no flaws or errors'.

Again according to Merriam-Webster, its synonyms include: absolute, faultless, flawless, ideal, immaculate, impeccable, indefectible, irreproachable, letter-perfect, picture-book, picture-perfect, perfect, unblemished. Its antonyms include: amiss, bad, censurable, defective, faulty, flawed, imperfect and reproachable.

Let's expand on this idea of seamlessness, and why I believe it to be the elixir of our business and personal futures.