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Metaphors for Life That Can Fit Your Journey

Popular Metaphor Examples to Inspire and Motivate you

Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

• Development
• Common Examples
• Using Metaphors

Metaphors about life are figures of speech that state that one thing is actually another thing. They are a way of creating a comparison that while not literally true, provides a figurative meaning. This can help you think about your life and problems in a different way , also serving as a source of encouragement, motivation, or gratitude.

Here we explore some common metaphor examples about life that can be used to inspire you in your daily life. These metaphors may also help you better understand some of the challenges you face, giving you the ability to see more clearly why you feel the way you do or even how to move forward.

How Metaphors About Life Begin

As children, we begin to understand and organize the world. If we think of the brain as a filing cabinet, childhood is when we open new files and label them. We then spend the rest of our lives putting material in these files.

Metaphors often begin as a way to understand the world around us, both as individuals and within the communities in which we live. They can make it easier to know where to place this information in our internal filing system.

Impact of Metaphors for Life

Even if we don't know the origin of certain life metaphors, many have stood the test of time for good reasons. These metaphor examples not only help us define and describe an experience but they can be used to improve our lives in many ways.

For example, some people see life as a battle. Every encounter is a struggle, and if they don't win, they feel like they have lost. Others view life as an adventure. Each new day brings new opportunities to explore, and if something goes badly today, there's always tomorrow.

If you are facing a challenge , a metaphor might help you see the big picture and give you strength. For example, someone going through cancer treatment may look at the journey as climbing a mountain. It may be difficult at the moment, but the view that lies at the top helps them keep pushing forward.

Metaphors can also provide a picture that helps others enter your world. A picture is often worth a thousand words, but a word picture (a metaphor) can sometimes do the same. Alternatively, a negative metaphor may help you see that you haven't been living your life the way you wish. It might be the stimulus you need to make changes.

While there are no specific studies looking at commonly held life metaphors and wellness, positive thinking is beneficial in many ways. A general attitude of optimism has been correlated with lower rates of cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease, and infection.

Common Metaphor Examples for Life

Metaphors for life are not always obvious. We may have to stand back a long way to see patterns. Because the way we look at things can have a great impact on how our lives unravel, it's worthwhile to think about the metaphors that fit the life we currently live.

Metaphors can be positive or negative. These are just examples and not every metaphor will resonate with every individual. Take a moment to think of other metaphor examples that may describe your life or serve you better.

If you see your life as a garden, you may feel that relationships with family and friends can be cultivated like flowers or vegetables. Relationships, like flowers, need regular watering. They need sunshine. Sometimes they need to be pruned. Sometimes you need to weed the garden (or eliminate toxic friends ).

The end result of careful and regular care, with timely interventions for insect infestations or decay, can lead to plants (or relationships) that are growing, producing oxygen that helps you breathe. They also create beauty as they flower and bloom.

You may see a battle as a metaphor for your life if everything is a competition or a struggle. In a battle, you are always either winning or losing. If a battle represents your life, you may wish to look at how life isn't always about winning or losing.

Relationships, especially, are not always a competition. Sometimes it is better to be more loving toward others than to be right or win.

Viewing your life as a mission can be either positive or negative. You may feel that you have talents and gifts you wish to share. On the other hand, you might feel that you need to convince others that your point of view is the only correct one.

Just as with missions throughout history, your life can be a platform to bring goodness to the world. Alternatively, you may see your mission as the need to impose your beliefs on those who do not wish to hear them.

A journey is a common metaphor for life as it reminds us that the destination is not our only goal. Like with any journey, there are times when the roads are straight and times when they are winding.

This metaphor example helps us remember that there will be ups and downs and potholes along the way—times when life will feel easy and times when life feels hard . Yet, there are also often wonderful surprises and fun discoveries that we would never have experienced if it weren't for the route we chose.

An adventure can also be a beautiful metaphor for life. We don't always know where we are going, but the thrill of our travels (our day-to-day living) leaves us excited and ready to see and experience new things.

A building is a solid metaphor for life and can be a reminder that a sturdy foundation is needed before building higher. Once you have a firm foundation in place, whatever that means to you, it's easier to confidently add floors and rooms that will stand the test of time and weather.

Roller Coaster

This metaphor example can describe life or it can describe the speed bumps we encounter. For example, people with a chronic disease know the roller coaster effect of a challenging diagnosis. Using the metaphor of a roller coaster also illustrates what many people who have had hardships understand so well.

You don't fully experience the high points of your journey without the contrast of the lows. For example, studies are now finding that being diagnosed with cancer doesn't just introduce challenges but can also change people in positive ways as well.

Stained-Glass Window

The metaphor of a stained-glass window illustrates not just the variety of lights and colors which make up our world, but the beauty in every person and situation. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude by taking the time to see what isn't obvious at a quick glance can be illustrated by this metaphor.

Mountain Climb

Climbing a mountain is a great metaphor for many parts of our lives. It can describe our educational path or the steps we take in climbing the corporate ladder. Life often consists of hierarchies.

This metaphor example also illustrates that it typically takes hard work, determination, and sometimes sheer endurance to get where we wish to go. Most mountain paths are not directly uphill, but take us down through valleys to get to the next peak.

Emotional resilience allows you to follow the trail as it descends before it turns the corner and heads back up again. This can improve your ability to cope and protect mental health during times of stress.

A race can be both a positive and negative metaphor for life. In the biblical sense of the metaphor, we are called to run the race of life not only for the prize.

A race can also be a negative metaphor, as in the "rat race," describing how sometimes we are so busy going from one place to another that we never really stop to enjoy any particular moment. In yet another negative sense, a race can describe the practice of always finding the fastest route, or needing to keep up with the proverbial Joneses.

If you view life as a courtroom, life can be challenging. In a courtroom, everything in life should be fair. Real life, however, is not always fair.

Good people die young and criminals go free. If you try to constrain your life to the metaphor of a courtroom, you open yourself up for repeated disappointment.

Stepping Stones

Stepping stones can be a metaphor for life in many ways. In a negative sense, stepping stones may describe the phenomena in which we barely get comfortable where we are before we look for a better job or a bigger house. In another sense, stepping stones can be a positive metaphor for a life lived with goals in mind and conscious awareness of the steps needed to get there.

This metaphor can also describe how we sometimes take a detour right or left along our way to prevent negative influences from catching up with us. An example of this type of metaphor is stepping stones crossing a stream in a garden.

Life is a classroom in so many ways and there are always new lessons to learn no matter your age. This metaphor can be a reminder to keep your mind active and strive to continue to learn throughout your life.

A prison can be a metaphor for a life in which you feel out of control . You may feel like you don't have choices and that others have the power. If this is you, it might be helpful to visualize a key to the door by which you can escape to your freedom, and what that might mean in real life.

Learning to reframe a situation can shift your perspective and change how you see a situation. Doing this can help reduce worry, stress, and anxiety.

A battery represents a life metaphor example of being drained and recharged through life, such as the daily drain of energy related to work, followed by weekends and evenings in which to recharge. Often taking small periods of time to recharge at frequent intervals leaves your battery less likely to die (lose all energy).

How to Use These Metaphor Examples

The examples above are just a few of the metaphors that illustrate people's lives. What metaphors fit your life? Do they work for you or do they cause problems and limit your choices? It's possible to change metaphors or modify yours (such as finding the key to the prison cell) but it can take some effort.

Taking the time to think about the metaphors that fit your life can help you find patterns that aren't working well for you, motivate you in positive directions, and help you cope with the obstacles we all periodically face. Think of your life metaphors today, but don't stop there.

Periodically re-think your life metaphors. Are they positive metaphors that bring you peace and contentment , help you reach goals, or allow you to see the beauty around you? Or are they negative metaphors that are limiting your life?

Good mental health includes having metaphors that help you see the big picture of your life. After thinking about your life metaphors, learn about other ways in which you can become a positive thinker and reduce stress in your life .

Metaphors about life can be helpful ways of thinking through problems you might be facing. They can also serve as a source of inspiration and motivation to encourage you to keep working toward your goals.

At other times, negative metaphors might hold you back or contribute to feelings of hopelessness or helplessness. If your life metaphors are hurting instead of helping, look for ways to reframe your thinking in order to take a more positive, optimistic approach.

Black Rupp N. The rise and fall of metaphor: A study in meaning and meaninglessness . Semiotica . 2016:213:419-433. doi:10.1515/sem-2015-0131

Kim ES, Hagan KA, Grodstein F, Demeo DL, De Vivo I, Kubzansky LD. Optimism and cause-specific mortality: a prospective cohort study. Am J Epidemiol . 2017;185(1):21-29. doi:10.1093/aje/kww182

Holtmaat K, van der Spek N, Lissenberg-Witte BI, Cuijpers P, Verdonck-de Leeuw IM. Positive mental health among cancer survivors: overlap in psychological well-being, personal meaning, and posttraumatic growth .  Support Care Cancer . 2019;27(2):443-450. doi:10.1007/s00520-018-4325-8

Färber F, Rosendahl J. The association between resilience and mental health in the somatically ill .  Dtsch Arztebl Int . 2018;115(38):621-627. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2018.0621

Eagleson C, Hayes S, Mathews A, Perman G, Hirsch CR. The power of positive thinking: Pathological worry is reduced by thought replacement in generalized anxiety disorder .  Behav Res Ther . 2016;78:13-18. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2015.12.017

By Leonard Holmes, PhD Leonard Holmes, PhD, is a pioneer of the online therapy field and a clinical psychologist specializing in chronic pain and anxiety.

13 Best Journey Metaphors and Similes that Pop! (with Examples)

Journeys are often used as metaphorical figures of speech because they represent adventure, struggle, and change.

Metaphors for journeys like ‘life is a journey’ and ‘this was a journey though history’ apply these ideas around change, adventure and struggle to a range of life’s pursuits.

Metaphors for Journeys

1. the journey is a weight on my shoulders.

As a simile: The journey is like a weight on my shoulders.

This metaphor speaks of a journey as if it is something that is difficult and burdensome just like a heavy pack on your shoulders.

The journey is not literally a weight on anyone’s shoulders. You can’t carry a journey because it’s not a physical thing.

Here, we’re using the weight metaphorically. Like a weight, which can be a burdensome struggle, a journey can be hard.

Interestingly, the phrase ‘weight on my shoulders’ is an idiomatic phrase, so we’re combining both idiom and metaphor for this sentence.

2. The Journey was a Party

As a simile: The journey was like a party

Unlike the burdensome journey above, this journey sounds like it’s a lot of fun! And that’s the point. The comparison to a party, which is fun and social, makes us think that the person on this journey had a great time. They might have made a lot of friends and had many good nights in Inns along the way.

3. The Journey was my Schooling

As a simile: The journey was like going to school.

If you say that a journey was your schooling, you’re implying that you learned a lot on the journey. The analogy here is that like school, going on a journey can be highly educational.

You could extend this metaphor to use phrases like “The Journey was a [something] class” and give a metaphorical type of lesson (a biology class, a science class, a French class). Here, you’d be specifically showing the type of thing that was learned on the journey.

4. The Journey was a Climb

As a simile: The journey was like climbing a mountain.

If we refer to a journey as a ‘climb’, this could be literal or metaphorical. If you actually did climb a mountain on your journey, then of course this is literal.

But you could say a journey was a climb even if you never climbed anything! You’re simply referring to the idea that the journey was something that was as difficult as climbing a mountain.

The central idea you’d be trying to convey in this metaphor is that journeys are difficult.

5. The Journey was a Walk in the Park

As a simile: The journey was like a walk in the park.

This metaphor gives the opposite impression to the one above about journeys being difficult.

In this metaphor, we’re saying that the journey was easy. It wasn’t like a climb at all. It was more like taking a nice comfortable walk through the park!

Here, you might need to know that the idiom “walk in the park” is commonly used as a figure of speech that means “easy” .

6. The Journey was a Walk down Memory Lane

As a simile: The journey was like a walk down memory lane.

The idiom “a walk down memory lane” means to reflect on the past. When we attach it to this journey, we have a mix of a metaphorical statement with an idiom as the metaphor’s vehicle.

We might use this metaphor for a journey that was full of reflections or even a journey to places where our ancestors lived.

Fact File: All metaphors have a tenor and a vehicle. The tenor is the thing being described and the vehicle is the metaphorical comparison. You can find more about the tenor and the mode in our ultimate guide to metaphors .

Metaphors Comparing Things to Journeys

1. life is a journey.

As a simile: Life is like a journey.

To say that life is a journey isn’t to say that for your whole life you’ll be literally traveling around. It’s to say that, like a journey, life is full of adventure.

In life, there will be ups and downs, “bumps in the road” (that’s an idiom), and good times and bad. Similarly, on a car journey, you might hit literal bumps on the road and go through a range of emotions throughout the day.

2. Your Career is a Journey

As a simile: Your career is like a journey.

To say that your career is a journey is to take a long view of the career. You’re telling someone that their career will take a long time and go through many phases, just like many of the great journeys people go on.

3. Parenting is a Journey

As a simile: Parenting is like a journey.

Being a parent is another long, arduous, but also rewarding thing. It can be compared to a journey because it’s something else with a lot of ups and downs.

While parenting might not involve travel from one place to another like a literal journey, there are enough parallels that we can say it’s a “journey” and people will understand what we mean. In a figurative sense, it’s long, difficult, and rewarding!

4. Friendship is a Journey

As a simile: Friendship is like a journey.

When we refer to a friendship as a journey, we might think of two people who have been friends for a long time. They have been through a lot together and likely know each other very well. Like a journey, the friendship has gone on for some time, and probably has also seen some change and evolution in the friends.

5. The Movie was a Journey to the Future

As a simile: The movie was like a journey to the future.

Sometimes we can walk out of the movie theater and feel like we’ve been on an epic journey. Likely, this is because the movie was so good we felt like we were taken away to a far-off place!

The metaphor “the movie was a journey to the future” might imply that it was a sci-fi movie set in the future. After we leave the cinema, we might feel like we have been on a space ship to the future!

6. School is a Journey through the Textbooks

As a simile: School is like a journey through the textbooks.

To say that school is a journey through the textbooks is to imply that, when we go to school, we are transported to all the places in our history textbooks. While we may not even move off our seats, simply reading a textbook about our past can make us feel like we’ve been on a journey.

A good history class might give you this feeling that you’ve been on a journey, even though you haven’t.

7. College is a Journey of Self-Discovery

As a simile: College is like a journey because it involves a lot of self-discovery.

The idea that college is a “journey of self-discovery” implies that your time at college will cause a change inside of you, just like a good physical journey does.

You might start college as a bright-eyed innocent teenager but, by the end, you’ll come out as a young adult with far more life experience and critical thinking skills. Similarly, on a journey, the things you learn along the way might make you completely change your outlook on life!

What is the Journey Metaphor in The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost?

At school, you’ll often be asked to explore journey metaphors in literature. One good example is The Road Not Taken which is a metaphor for the importance of crafting a unique life for yourself and making bold decisions.

In the poem, a character takes a literal journey. On the journey, he must choose which path to take – the one more travelled or less travelled.

While the story is about a literal journey, it is actually an analogy for the decisions we make in life. Will we take the hard path that others have not taken, which will lead to a sense of fulfilment, or the easy path, which may lead to a rather mundane and unspectacular life.

What is the Journey Metaphor in The Lord of the Rings?

The Lord of the Rings is a story of a journey of 11 people (a fellowship) who are on the way to throw an evil ring into a fire pit. The journey focuses on Frodo Baggins, a fictional character called a hobbit, who must develop his own personal character along the way.

While the story involves a literal journey, there is also a metaphorical message within it. The journey is a metaphor for the ways our personal character is forged through adventure, experience, and struggle.

What Does it Mean to Say “It’s the Journey that Matters (Not the Destination)”?

This is a common phrase which is used to explain that our life is not about getting somewhere. The most important things are the things that happen on the way there.

Usually, we’re not talking about a literal journey here. We’re usually referring to a metaphorical journey, such as life, where the things we do along the way are of greatest importance because they show our true character.

And indeed, the adventure on the figurative journey towards a goal are the things that are often more memorable and exciting than the goal we eventually reach.

• Mountain Metaphors
• Time Metaphors
• Nature Metaphors
• Metaphors for Easy

Journeys are frequently used metaphorically to refer to things that are difficult, life-changing, and involve adventure. While literally a journey is an adventure from point A to point B, today we regularly use the word in the figurative sense to refer to anything that feels like a journey. In these instances, we’re using metaphor to convey a message to people about the fact that what you did (whether it was parenting, friendship, or college) was a difficult and life-changing adventure.

I’m Chris and I run this website – a resource about symbolism, metaphors, idioms, and a whole lot more! Thanks for dropping by.

25 Metaphors for Journey

The journey of life is a rollercoaster ride, much like a marathon through a treasure hunt of experiences. It’s a pilgrimage we all embark on, a voyage across the sea of time.

Sometimes, it’s a road trip filled with hikes and safaris through the wilderness, while at other times, it feels like a journey to the center of the earth. Metaphors provide a unique way to understand and describe the various aspects of our journeys in life.

In this article, we’ll explore 25 captivating metaphors for a journey, each with its own distinct meaning and a sentence to illustrate it.

Metaphors for Journey

1. the journey of life.

Meaning: This metaphor refers to the entirety of a person’s life, from birth to death, and all the experiences and events that occur along the way.

In a Sentence: The journey of life is filled with both joyful moments and challenging obstacles, all contributing to our personal growth.

2. A Rollercoaster Ride

Meaning: This metaphor refers to the ups and downs, twists and turns, and unexpected events that can occur during a journey.

In a Sentence: Last year felt like a rollercoaster ride, with unexpected job changes, family surprises, and travel adventures.

3. A Marathon

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey is a long and grueling effort that requires persistence, endurance, and determination to complete.

In a Sentence: Pursuing a Ph.D. often feels like running a marathon, requiring years of dedication and hard work.

4. A Treasure Hunt

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey is an exciting and adventurous quest to find something valuable or sought after.

In a Sentence: Exploring the ancient ruins felt like a treasure hunt, as we searched for hidden artifacts beneath the layers of history.

5. A Pilgrimage

Meaning: This metaphor refers to a journey made for a spiritual or religious purpose, often involving a long and difficult journey to a sacred place.

In a Sentence: The pilgrimage to Mecca is a deeply spiritual journey for millions of Muslims worldwide.

6. A Voyage

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey involves traveling over water, often involving a ship or other vessel.

In a Sentence: Sailing across the Atlantic Ocean was a transformative voyage, allowing me to connect with the vastness of the sea.

7. A Road Trip

Meaning: This metaphor refers to a journey made by car, often over a long distance and involving many stops along the way.

In a Sentence: We decided to take a spontaneous road trip, exploring hidden gems along the scenic route.

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey is a physical journey, often over rough or challenging terrain.

In a Sentence: Hiking through the rugged mountains gave me a sense of accomplishment and an appreciation for nature’s beauty.

9. A Safari

Meaning: This metaphor refers to a journey made for the purpose of observing or studying wildlife, often in an exotic or foreign location.

In a Sentence: Going on a safari in Africa allowed us to witness the majesty of wild animals in their natural habitat.

10. A Journey to the Center of the Earth

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey involves exploring unknown or hidden depths or depths of the earth.

In a Sentence: Starting a new business feels like a journey to the center of the earth, with unforeseen challenges lurking beneath the surface.

11. A Journey Through Time

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey involves traveling through different periods of history or different stages of life.

In a Sentence: Visiting historical landmarks is like taking a journey through time, as you immerse yourself in the past.

12. A Journey to the Stars

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey involves reaching for the heights or exploring the vastness of space.

In a Sentence: Pursuing your dreams can often feel like a journey to the stars, filled with infinite possibilities.

13. A Climb Up a Mountain

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey involves overcoming obstacles and reaching new heights or accomplishments.

In a Sentence: Graduating from college felt like a steep climb up a mountain, but the view from the top was worth every effort.

14. A Journey to the Top

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey involves striving for success or reaching a high level of achievement.

In a Sentence: Climbing the corporate ladder requires dedication and hard work, as you strive for your journey to the top.

15. A Journey to the Bottom

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey involves exploring deep or hidden depths or uncovering the truth about something.

In a Sentence: Investigating the unsolved mysteries of history often leads to a journey to the bottom, where hidden truths may lie.

16. A Journey Through the Desert

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey is a difficult and challenging experience, often involving isolation or a lack of resources.

In a Sentence: Starting a small business during a recession can feel like a journey through the desert, with scarce opportunities.

17. A Journey Through the Jungle

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey is an exciting and unpredictable experience, full of dangers and unknowns.

In a Sentence: Navigating the world of startups is like a journey through the jungle, where you must adapt to survive.

18. A Journey Through the Darkness

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey involves facing challenges or obstacles that are difficult to see or understand.

In a Sentence: Overcoming personal struggles often feels like a journey through the darkness, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

19. A Journey Through the Wilderness

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey involves exploring uncharted or unfamiliar territory.

In a Sentence: Venturing into a new career field can be a journey through the wilderness, as you navigate the unknown.

20. A Journey Through the Looking Glass

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey involves entering a world that is different or strange in some way, often involving a shift in perspective or understanding.

In a Sentence: Traveling to a foreign country is like a journey through the looking glass, offering a fresh perspective on life.

21. A Journey Through the Maze

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey is a confusing or convoluted experience, involving many twists and turns.

In a Sentence: Navigating the complexities of bureaucracy can feel like a journey through a never-ending maze.

22. A Journey Through the Underworld

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey involves exploring the depths of the earth or facing dark or difficult challenges.

In a Sentence: Recovering from a severe illness can be a journey through the underworld, battling against the odds.

23. A Journey to the Promised Land

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey is a quest for something that is desirable or sought after, often involving a sense of hope or optimism.

In a Sentence: Pursuing one’s dreams often feels like a journey to the promised land, where success awaits on the horizon.

24. A Journey Through the Fire

Meaning: This metaphor suggests that a journey involves facing difficult or intense challenges that test one’s strength or resilience.

In a Sentence: Surviving adversity is like a journey through the fire, where your inner strength is forged in the flames.

Metaphors for journeys enrich our understanding of life’s diverse experiences. Each metaphor provides a unique perspective, allowing us to relate our personal journeys to familiar concepts such as rollercoaster rides, treasure hunts, or voyages. Whether we’re climbing mountains or navigating through mazes, our journeys shape us and define our stories.

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30 Metaphors for Journey: Navigating the Labyrinth of Life

Journeys are an intrinsic part of our human experience. They symbolize growth, change, and exploration, and they often serve as metaphors for the various stages and challenges we encounter throughout our lives.

In this article, we’ll embark on a journey of our own as we explore a diverse range of metaphors for the journey, each with its unique meaning and significance.

From the “Path of Life” to “Navigating the Twists and Turns of Fate,” we’ll delve into these metaphors to uncover their rich symbolism and how they resonate with our personal experiences.

What is a Metaphor for a Journey?

Before we dive into the intriguing world of metaphors, let’s first clarify what a metaphor is and how it applies to our understanding of a journey:

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What is a simile?

Identify the simile in the following sentence: “She swims like a fish.”

What is a metaphor?

Which of the following is a metaphor?

What is an idiom?

What does the idiom “break the ice” mean?

What is an adjective?

Choose the adjective in the following sentence: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”

What is an abbreviation?

What does the abbreviation “e.g.” stand for?

What is a verb?

Identify the verb in the following sentence: “The cat sleeps on the sofa.”

“Out of the frying pan into the fire” is an example of:

Which of the following is an adjective?

The abbreviation “NASA” stands for:

Choose the metaphor in the following sentence: “Time is a thief.”

What does the idiom “hit the books” mean?

Which of the following sentences contains a simile?

“LOL” is an abbreviation for:

Identify the verb in this sentence: “They whispered secrets into the night.”

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Metaphor : A figure of speech that involves comparing two different things to highlight a particular similarity or association.

In the context of a journey, metaphors serve as imaginative tools that help us convey the essence of our life experiences. They enable us to express complex ideas , emotions, and challenges by drawing parallels between the act of traveling from one place to another and the broader journey of life itself.

Now, let’s explore each of the metaphors on our list and give them meaning by examining their symbolic significance and how they resonate with our lives.

A journey is like a winding road, full of twists and turns, with surprises around every corner. For more similes related to journey, you can check out this resource: Similes for Journey . Additionally, if you’re interested in idioms associated with journey, you can explore them here: Idioms for Journey .

Metaphors for Journey

1. path of life.

Meaning: The path of life represents the course of one’s existence, filled with choices, decisions, and experiences.

In a Sentence: We all walk our own unique path of life, filled with twists, turns, and unexpected detours.

2. Road to Success

Meaning: The road to success symbolizes the journey towards achieving one’s goals and aspirations.

In a Sentence: Success isn’t just a destination; it’s a journey, and the road to success is often paved with hard work and determination.

3. Voyage of Discovery

Meaning: A voyage of discovery is a journey of exploration and learning, often leading to newfound knowledge or insights.

In a Sentence: Embarking on a voyage of discovery can open your eyes to the wonders of the world.

4. Expedition of the Soul

Meaning: An expedition of the soul represents a deep, inner journey to understand one’s true self and purpose.

In a Sentence: Sometimes, the most profound expeditions are the ones that take place within the chambers of our own souls.

5. Odyssey of the Mind

Meaning: An odyssey of the mind refers to a mental or intellectual journey, often involving creativity and imagination.

In a Sentence: Writing a novel can be a thrilling odyssey of the mind, where you create entire worlds with your thoughts.

6. Adventure of a Lifetime

Meaning: An adventure of a lifetime signifies an extraordinary and unforgettable journey or experience.

In a Sentence: Climbing Mount Everest was truly an adventure of a lifetime, pushing my physical and mental limits.

7. Trek Through Time

Meaning: A trek through time represents the exploration of history or the passage of time itself.

In a Sentence: Visiting ancient ruins allows us to embark on a trek through time and connect with our ancestors.

8. Pilgrimage of the Heart

Meaning: A pilgrimage of the heart signifies a journey driven by deep emotions, faith, or love.

In a Sentence: His journey to find his long-lost love became a pilgrimage of the heart, spanning continents and decades.

9. Quest for Knowledge

Meaning: A quest for knowledge represents the pursuit of learning and understanding, often through challenges and obstacles.

In a Sentence: The quest for knowledge is a lifelong journey, with each discovery leading to more questions.

10. Marathon of Challenges

Meaning: A marathon of challenges refers to a long and enduring journey filled with obstacles and trials.

In a Sentence: Overcoming his health issues felt like running a marathon of challenges, but he never gave up.

11. Passage Through Darkness

Meaning: A passage through darkness represents a difficult phase or a period of uncertainty in one’s life.

In a Sentence: Emerging from the passage through darkness, she found the strength to embrace the light.

12. Highway of Dreams

Meaning: The highway of dreams symbolizes the pursuit of one’s aspirations and ambitions.

In a Sentence: Along the highway of dreams, we encounter opportunities and setbacks that shape our journey.

13. Trail of Destiny

Meaning: A trail of destiny implies a preordained path or a series of events that lead to a particular outcome.

In a Sentence: Our lives are entwined with the trail of destiny, guiding us toward our ultimate purpose.

14. Crossing the River of Life

Meaning: Crossing the river of life signifies overcoming challenges or transitions in one’s journey.

In a Sentence: Every bridge we build helps us in crossing the river of life with resilience and determination.

15. Climb to the Top

Meaning: A climb to the top represents the pursuit of excellence or reaching the pinnacle of one’s endeavors.

In a Sentence: Success often involves a challenging climb to the top, but the view from there is worth it.

16. Sailing the Sea of Possibilities

Meaning: Sailing the sea of possibilities signifies exploring a wide range of options and opportunities.

In a Sentence: Life is like sailing the sea of possibilities; you never know where the winds will take you.

17. Journey Through the Wilderness

Meaning: A journey through the wilderness symbolizes a challenging and untamed phase in life.

In a Sentence: Facing his fears, he embarked on a journey through the wilderness, finding strength in solitude.

18. Hike Through Adversity

Meaning: A hike through adversity represents navigating through tough times and overcoming hardships.

In a Sentence: Life’s toughest challenges often feel like a steep hike through adversity, but they make us stronger.

19. Ride Through the Storm

Meaning: A ride through the storm signifies enduring difficult times or facing crises.

In a Sentence: Their marriage went through a turbulent ride through the storm, but they emerged stronger than ever.

20. Exploration of the Unknown

Meaning: Exploration of the unknown represents the excitement and uncertainty of discovering new territories.

In a Sentence: The exploration of the unknown is what drives humanity to venture beyond its comfort zone.

21. Flight of Imagination

Meaning: A flight of imagination symbolizes the creative and imaginative aspects of one’s journey.

In a Sentence: Artists often embark on a flight of imagination, letting their creativity soar to new heights.

22. Expedition into the Unknown

Meaning: An expedition into the unknown implies a daring and adventurous journey into uncharted territories.

In a Sentence: Astronauts embark on an expedition into the unknown when they venture into space.

23. Wandering Through Existence

Meaning: Wandering through existence represents the aimless or contemplative aspects of life’s journey.

In a Sentence: Sometimes, it’s okay to wander through existence and let life’s surprises guide your path.

24. Quest for Enlightenment

Meaning: A quest for enlightenment symbolizes the pursuit of spiritual or inner wisdom.

In a Sentence: Meditation and self-reflection can be a powerful tool in one’s quest for enlightenment.

25. Pilgrimage to Self-Discovery

Meaning: A pilgrimage to self-discovery signifies the journey of introspection and self-awareness.

In a Sentence: His backpacking trip through Europe turned into a pilgrimage to self-discovery as he learned more about himself.

26. Travel Through the Labyrinth

Meaning: Travel through the labyrinth represents navigating the complexities and challenges of life.

In a Sentence: Life often feels like a maze, and our journey is about finding our way through the labyrinth.

27. Ascending the Mountain of Goals

Meaning: Ascending the mountain of goals symbolizes the gradual progress toward achieving one’s objectives.

In a Sentence: Each step taken while ascending the mountain of goals brings you closer to your dreams.

28. Trekking the Path of Destiny

Meaning: Trekking the path of destiny implies following a predetermined course or purpose in life.

In a Sentence: Some believe that we are all destined to trek the path of destiny, fulfilling a greater plan.

29. Roaming Through the Maze of Life

Meaning: Roaming through the maze of life represents navigating the twists and turns of our individual journeys.

In a Sentence: We may feel lost at times while roaming through the maze of life, but every dead end leads to a new opportunity.

Here are 10 quiz questions about metaphors from the article:

Quiz 1: Path of Life

• What does the “Path of Life” metaphor represent? a) A challenging journey filled with obstacles b) The course of one’s existence c) An adventurous expedition into the unknown d) A quest for spiritual enlightenment

Quiz 2: Odyssey of the Mind

• How is the “Odyssey of the Mind” metaphor described in the article? a) A physical journey into uncharted territories b) A mental or intellectual journey involving creativity and imagination c) An adventurous exploration of history d) A pursuit of emotional self-discovery

Quiz 3: Climb to the Top

• What does the “Climb to the Top” metaphor symbolize? a) Navigating the twists and turns of life b) Overcoming difficult times and crises c) Pursuit of excellence and achievement d) Exploring various options and possibilities

Quiz 4: Quest for Enlightenment

• How is the “Quest for Enlightenment” metaphor defined in the article? a) A journey through physical challenges b) Pursuit of spiritual or inner wisdom c) Navigating the complexities of life d) A creative and imaginative journey

Quiz 5: Trekking the Path of Destiny

• What does “Trekking the Path of Destiny” imply in the article? a) Following a predetermined course in life b) A deep inner journey of self-discovery c) Navigating tough phases and hardships d) Pursuit of learning and understanding

Quiz 6: Sailing the Sea of Possibilities

• What does “Sailing the Sea of Possibilities” signify in the article? a) Exploring the mysteries of the universe b) Navigating life’s complexities and challenges c) Pursuit of one’s goals and ambitions d) Discovering new territories and cultures

Quiz 7: Trail of Destiny

• How is the “Trail of Destiny” metaphor described in the article? a) An aimless and contemplative journey b) A series of events leading to a particular outcome c) An adventurous expedition into uncharted territories d) An exploration of history and time

Quiz 8: Voyage of Discovery

• What does the “Voyage of Discovery” metaphor represent? a) A deep inner journey of self-discovery b) Pursuit of excellence and achievement c) Exploration and learning, leading to new insights d) Navigating life’s twists and turns

Quiz 9: Hike Through Adversity

• How is the “Hike Through Adversity” metaphor explained in the article? a) Navigating hardships and challenges in life b) A pursuit of spiritual wisdom and enlightenment c) A journey filled with unexpected detours d) Exploring various options and opportunities

Quiz 10: Pilgrimage of the Heart

• What does the “Pilgrimage of the Heart” metaphor symbolize? a) An adventurous exploration of history b) A journey driven by deep emotions or love c) Pursuit of intellectual and creative endeavors d) Navigating life’s complexities and challenges

Feel free to use these quiz questions to test your knowledge of the metaphors discussed in the article!

Journey metaphors have a captivating way of encapsulating the complexity of our lives, dreams, and challenges. They provide us with a unique lens through which we can view and understand our personal experiences.

Whether it’s the “Voyage of Discovery” that fuels our curiosity or the “Ride Through the Storm” that tests our resilience, these metaphors remind us that our journeys are rich, varied, and filled with valuable lessons.

About the author

Dr. Julia Rossi

Dr. Julia Rossi , a luminary in the field of linguistics, earned her Ph.D. with a groundbreaking thesis that delved into the cultural and historical dimensions of idioms, metaphors, and similes. Her work, spanning decades, has brought to light the dynamic nature of idiomatic expressions, illustrating how they serve as cultural artifacts, revealing the collective consciousness of a society. Rossi’s publications, widely acclaimed in academic circles, have not only expanded our understanding of idioms but have also paved the way for a more nuanced appreciation of cross-cultural communication.

Word Of The Day

Ephemeral (adjective) :

• Lasting for a very short time; short-lived; transitory.
• Existing only briefly; temporary; fleeting.

Example sentence: “The beauty of the cherry blossoms is ephemeral, lasting only a few weeks each spring.”

English Vocabulary Flashcards

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• Quotes About Death

40+ Best Metaphors About Life, Meaning & Change

Updated 12/28/2023

Published 02/13/2020

Sam Tetrault, BA in English

Contributing writer

Cake values integrity and transparency. We follow a strict editorial process to provide you with the best content possible. We also may earn commission from purchases made through affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more in our affiliate disclosure .

Finding the meaning behind life’s challenges, changes, and daily happenings isn’t always easy. Metaphors are a figure of speech that compares one thing to another thing. These turns of phrase help us identify new meanings that put life into perspective. 

Jump ahead to these sections:

• Funny Metaphors About LIfe

Deep Metaphors About Life and Meaning

Inspiring metaphors about life struggles and lessons, metaphors about life changes .

Metaphors make sense of our lives. They’re a reminder that we’re not alone in our feelings. You’ve likely heard several metaphors in your daily life or in life-changing books . Below, you’ll find the best metaphors about life, meaning, and change to inspire you through any moment.

Post-loss tip:   If you are the executor for a deceased loved one, metaphors for life can be extremely poignant at this time. It can be overwhelming to handle both  the emotional and technical aspects of their unfinished business without a way to organize your process. We have a post-loss checklist  that will help you ensure that your loved one's family, estate, and other affairs are taken care of.

Funny Metaphors About Life

Not all metaphors are serious. Some of them make us laugh out loud, and it’s this humor that united us together through the human experience.

These transform themselves into the perfect celebration of life quotes , encouraging you to laugh at the little things. 

Have you ever compared time to the money in your wallet? As Henry David Thoreau famously said, “The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.” It’s really all about evaluating the value of your time. 

When you peel back the layers, what do you find? You discover something new each time, and you might shed a tear along the way. Don’t live life in one layer. 

3. Box of chocolates

Who doesn’t recognize Forrest Gump’s famous line from the film? “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” This might sound silly on the big screen, but it means you should always expect the unexpected. 

William Shakespeare said that the entire world is a stage and everyone else is “merely a player.” In this line of thinking, you have the ability to be anyone you want. Why not be someone great?

Riding a bike and living life are very similar. Not only does it take a while to get the hang of riding a bike, but you always need to move forward if you want to keep your balance. 

If life is a song, we are the lyrics. Hans Christian Andersen , the famous writer of dark fairytales, once wrote that “life is like a beautiful melody, only the lyrics are messed up.” We’re all just trying to get the words right, even if we make mistakes. 

Life is also like a banana. It starts out green and firm, but it gets mushy with age. It’s also a bit slippery from time to time, but everyone wants to stick together in the right bunch. 

Cooking is great fun, but sometimes you don’t have the recipe. Things might not go according to plan, or you might mess up and use the wrong ingredient. 

Putting together a puzzle is like life. Sometimes you don’t always have all the pieces. In the end, everything fits together. 

10. Elevator

Sometimes life feels like being trapped in an elevator. You’re always going up or down, and sometimes you’re not even the one pushing the buttons. 

Now that we’ve looked at some funnier metaphors, let’s talk about the deeper ones. These have rich meaning, and they’re worth holding on to for years to come. 

The term bucket list comes from the saying “to kick the bucket” which means to die. Buckets also symbolize life in their own way. We have the opportunity to fill our lives with things that matter to us. 

12. Whisper

Sometimes life is like a whisper. It’s not always loud and in-your-face. It’s only when you slow down and listen that you hear what’s most important.  

Life is also like the ocean. Sometimes it’s calm seas, and everything is smooth sailing. Other times you have to swim against the waves. 

Storms are a part of life, just as they’re a natural part of every ecosystem. Storms might bring dark clouds, thunder, and lightning, but they’re also a time for rebirth and growth. 

15. Hallway

Every hallway has an open door. However, not every door takes you where you want to go. As you age, these doors start to close. Take advantage of each opportunity when you have the chance. 

You’re the author of your own story. You get to wake up each day and decide how your story is written. With every new page comes an opportunity for change and growth. 

We all feel trapped in a maze sometimes. In Looking for Alaska , John Green tackles this metaphor by comparing life to a labyrinth of suffering. He writes, “You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you’ll escape it one day...but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.” 

It’s possible to blossom anywhere, but we need our gardens tended to properly. You’ll never grow until you’re planted. From there, it just takes some sunshine. 

Rivers wind and bend. You follow life like you follow a river. Sometimes there are rapids, and sometimes it’s smooth sailing. If you’re trying to reach the sea, lose sight of the river’s path. 

20. Roller coaster

You don’t have to be a thrill-seeker to see the similarities between coasters and your own life. Anyone who’s experienced a hardship that every high has a matching low. Without the lows, you’ll never learn to appreciate the highs. 

Nobody’s life is perfect. Things happen that are sometimes out of our control, but we can all grow from these experiences. Share these quotes with immediate family members in their time of need, or just save them yourself for a rainy day. 

21. Poker game

Life is a giant poker game. Sometimes you’re the dealer, and you’re in control. Other times you’re dealt to. Like poker, life is about luck. Either way, keep shuffling your deck. 

22. Photograph

Like a photograph, life isn’t made in the bright moments. We develop from all the negatives. It takes darkness and challenges to reveal the beauty underneath. When the going gets tough, don’t give up. 

Like people, pencils need sharpening. They’re strong, but that doesn’t mean they can’t break under the right pressure. Pencils leave a mark, and they also erase mistakes. 

Though it sounds harsh, life is sometimes like a war. Even if you lose the battle, you could still win the war. At the end of the day, life isn’t about winning and losing. 

25. Buildings

A building is only as strong as its foundation. Similarly, unless you’ve built yourself a strong foundation, you’re at risk of tumbling down. Once you have your strong foundation, it’s time to build higher. 

26. Mountain climb

A lot of life’s struggles feel like climbing. You need hard work and determination to make it far in life, and some climbs are easier than others. Sometimes you have to travel through deep valleys. This just makes the view from the top all the sweeter. 

27. Stained glass window

When you look at a stained glass window up close, it doesn’t look like much. It’s not until you step back and see the colors molding together into a cohesive shape that the real beauty shines through. 

28. Classroom

Every challenge you face is another opportunity to gain something new. As Albert Einstein once said, “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” 

29. Battery

When we experience new things, we also drain ourselves. This leaves us feeling like batteries. Daily things like work and school drain our energy, and it’s important to remember to recharge. 

30. Stepping stones

Life is a series of stepping stones. Stepping stones forge paths somewhere else, so don’t linger for too long on one stone when something bigger waits ahead of you. 

In life, change is the only certainty. Things like relationships, plans, and goals change. There isn’t always anything we can do about this, but we can learn to accept these changes into our lives with open arms. 

Virginia Woolf wrote, “Life is not a series of gig lamps symmetrically arranged; life is a luminous halo.” What Woolf means is that life isn’t meant to be a series of boxes checked on a page. It’s spontaneous, and this is a beautiful thing. 

32. Diverging road

Life doesn’t always follow the road we thought it would. In the case of poet Robert Frost , “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both.” Frost knows the struggle of having to choose between different paths. 

Life is sometimes like a game of chess. You should always think about your next move, but understand that you can’t always anticipate the moves of other players. 

34. Journey

It’s about the journey, not about the destination. No matter what you’re working for, take a few moments to appreciate the present. You’ve traveled a long way to get here. That’s worth celebrating. 

Each star has its own place in the sky, and we can find that place in our own lives. Though we don’t always shine bright, we’re always there. 

Michelangelo once said, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” We each have the power to chip away at that stone, but it takes patience. 

37. Compass

A compass points north, and a moral compass points towards the right choice. We each have a compass inside us guiding us through life. It’s up to us to listen to it. 

A canvas is a blank page. It’s up to us how we paint it. We are all the artists of our own lives. How do you want to be remembered?

You’ve likely heard the metaphor “glass empty vs. half full.” How full is your glass? If you’re looking on the brighter side of life, it’s always half full. 

We are free to love as fully as we can during our short stay on earth. Poet E. E. Cummings knows this well. He writes, “then laugh, leaning back in my arms, for life’s not a paragraph, and death I think is no parenthesis.” Death is a natural part of life, so live in the moment. 

How Do You Find Meaning?

There’s no guidebook to finding the meaning in life. This is something that’s left for us to decide. We can all agree that metaphors help us piece together all the confusing bits, creating some balance in what it means to be alive. 

All of this talk about life might have you thinking about the future. Start end-of-life planning to decide how you want to be remembered. Let these metaphors be your guide to take action today. 

If you're looking for more ways to find meaning, read our guide on how to live a meaningful life and how to have a meaningful funeral . 

• Andersen, Hans Christian. Goodreads. Goodreads.com . 
• Buonarroti, Michelangelo. Goodreads. Goodreads.com .
• Cummings, E. E. “Since Feeling Is First.” Daily Poetry. Dailypoetry.com . 
• Einstein, Albert. Goodreads. Goodreads.com .
• Frost, Robert. “The Road Not Taken.” Goodreads. Goodreads.com .  
• Green, John. Goodreads. Goodreads.com . 
• “Mis-Quotations.” Walden Woods Project. Walden.org . 
• Woolf, Virginia. Goodreads. Goodreads.com . 

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20 Thought-Provoking Metaphors About Life

What is life to you? Check out these metaphors about life to get the perspective of others. 

The meaning of life is often a vague and challenging concept for people to understand. The changes and challenges that make up everyday human existence are complex, and life experiences can feel challenging to put into words. Many of the most famous life quotes are metaphors, comparing everyday life to something a bit less abstract.

Metaphors are figures of speech that compare concepts with a unique perspective. Great metaphors get people to stop and think, and  common metaphors  become part of the culture of the community. They can be funny, deep, inspiring and thought-provoking.

Do you want to use metaphors about life in your writing or speech? Here are some of the most famous metaphors of life for your consideration.

Metaphors About Life from Culture, Literature, and Famous Thinkers

2. box of chocolates, 4. theater stage, 6. roller coaster , 7. bucket list, 10. maze or labyrinth, 11. stained glass window, 12. a mountain climb, 13. a classroom, 15. stepping stones, 16. divergent paths, 17. journey, 20. a game of chess, 21. fresh air, a final word on metaphors about life, what are some examples of metaphors about life, what does the metaphor “life is a journey” mean.

One of the best ways to understand life metaphors is to study metaphor examples that compare life to everything from nature to common objects. As you consider daily life, see if one of these metaphors fits.

Funny Metaphors About Life

Sometimes, metaphors use humor to teach a lesson. Here are some funny metaphors about life and its lessons:

Henry David Thoreau once said, “The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.” This quote shows that your own life has value, even monetary value, and you must count that value when evaluating how you will spend your life. For deeper reading, check out our guide to the best essays about money .

“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” You don’t have to have watched Forrest Gump to recognize one of the movie’s most iconic quotes. It implies that life is unexpected and can be sweet at the same time.

Peeling the layers of an onion helps you discover newness with each layer. Life is kind of like an onion. You might shed some tears as you peel back the layers, but you’ll also find something new and fresh.

In the play  As You Like It , Jacques, a character William Shakespeare created, says “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” This quote metaphorically compares real life to the experiences of actors on a stage.

Hans Christian Andersen once said, “Life is like a beautiful melody, only the lyrics are messed up.” As we go through life, it can feel as though we are simply trying to get the words right to a song that we can hear, but can’t quite grasp.

Life is like a roller coaster. It is full of thrills, peaks (highs) and valleys (lows). One minute you’re soaring to the heights, and the next you’re crashing down to the ground, but in the end, you have a great time with the experience.

Deep Metaphors about Life

Some metaphors about life and the life lessons we all must learn are a bit deeper than these funny ones.

The term “bucket list” applies to the things that someone wants to experience before they “kick the bucket,” or die. The bucket also symbolizes life because you have the choice to fill it with the things that matter most to you.

Sometimes, life is calm and inviting. Other times, it feels like a raging tempest. This back-and-forth makes the ocean a great metaphor for the realities and challenges of life.

Looking for more? Check out these essays about daily life .

You’re the author of your own story. If you’ve ever been told this, then you are listening to the metaphor that life is a novel. Every new experience is a new page or chapter in the story of your life.

In Looking for Alaska , John Green states, “You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you’ll escape it one day, by you never od it. You just use the future to escape the present.” In this quote, he compares life to the twist, turns and dead-ends of a maze.

Inspirational Metaphors About Life

Sometimes, metaphors about life are less thought-provoking and more inspirational, encouraging you to live life with gusto. Here are some of those.

If you have ever looked closely at a stained glass window, all you saw was a bunch of bright colors, and it is not until you step back that you get the full picture of what the window conveys. Life is like that too. Sometimes we can’t see the big picture of our own life until we step back and get perspective.

Life has challenges, and tackling those challenges can feel like climbing a mountain. You sometimes go through deep valleys, but you also get to have mountain-top experiences, and this combination makes the struggle rewarding.

Albert Einstein once said, “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” In a way, he is comparing life to the classroom and the desire to understand what it all means.

Life can sometimes feel like a series of battles. While you win some, and you lose some, with hard work and dedication you can win the whole war. For deeper reading, check out our guide to the best war books . 

As you go through life, picture yourself on a path made of stepping stones. You won’t want to linger too long on any one part of the path, and eventually, you will get to something bigger, but the stones that line the way help you get there.

Thought-Provoking Metaphors About Life

Finally, many of the best metaphors about life get you to stop and think about how you are using yours and what choices you are making. Many of these come from literature because life changes are popular topics of poets and writers.

Robert Frost wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” In this poem, he compares his life and its choices to a fork in the road, and how choosing the less-traveled path made his life richer.

In her poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” Emily Dickinson compares life to a journey complete with a carriage ride. This metaphor is easy to understand because we all feel we are on a journey and the end of that journey is the same for all people, it’s how we spend the journey that matters.

We are all artists and our life is the canvas. We get to decide how we cover it in paint.

Life is like a star because each star has its place in the sky, just as each life has its place in the human experience. We can shine bright or we can dim depending on our life choices, but we are always there.

In chess, players must always think about their next move and where it will take them. Life is similar.

Many writers liken a life-giving concept or trait to air, as it we need it to live e.g. “That holiday was a breath of fresh air.” For more, read our guide to love metaphors .  

Metaphors about life make you stop and think. They can give you a greater perspective on how you spend your days, and they can help give greater meaning to even the mundane parts of life. As you study these metaphor examples, try to think of some of your own. Discover what life is like to you, and then weave that metaphor into your writing. 

Want more? Read our guide to metaphor examples from literature .

FAQs About Metaphors About Life

A metaphor about life compares life to something more tangible. Some famous ones include: 1. Life is like a box of chocolates 2. Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by. 3. The roller coaster of life

When writers compare life to a journey, the metaphor explores how we are all on the path towards the end of life, but have choices in how we use our days as we travel that journey.

Nicole Harms has been writing professionally since 2006. She specializes in education content and real estate writing but enjoys a wide gamut of topics. Her goal is to connect with the reader in an engaging, but informative way. Her work has been featured on USA Today, and she ghostwrites for many high-profile companies. As a former teacher, she is passionate about both research and grammar, giving her clients the quality they demand in today's online marketing world.

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Best Metaphors About Life And What They Really Mean

These metaphors about life can inspire you on how to best write your own story in life.

Metaphors are a figure of speech that makes one thing stand for another. They help us make sense of the world by using comparisons to explain abstract concepts through metaphors, similes, and analogies. 

In other words, metaphors provide meaning and understanding about life in a sense.

For metaphors are more than just words; they are a way of looking at the world. They help us make sense of our lives and find meaning and understanding in our experiences.

Let’s take a look at some metaphors about life that can help you understand yourself, others, and even the universe!

Why metaphors are important for life?

Metaphors are important for our lives because they allow us to make connections between abstract or mundane concepts, help us understand an experience that we share with others.

When people find metaphors for their own life’s purpose, it is much easier for them to feel the meaning in what they do and achieve a sense of fulfillment.

This results in a life that is more meaningful and purposeful, and feeling this sense of meaning keeps people happy.

Examples of Popular Metaphors About Life

Life is a journey composed of both successes and failures; just as roses have both petals and thorns.

This metaphor means that life is made up of both good aspects that one needs to cherish (petals), but also difficult parts that one needs to accept (thorns). Thus, just as roses have both petals and thorns, life has both upsides and downsides.

Life is like a box full of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get. – Forrest Gump

From this example, we learn that it’s impossible to predict what life would throw at us next, just like how we don’t know or can anticipate what’s inside a box of chocolates.

This means that we should always be prepared for the worst and have the mindset that we can never get any of what you want, every time.

So whenever you’re feeling down or hopeless, just remember the adage “life is like a box of chocolates”. You’ll feel better knowing that things aren’t always bad; you just have to be more positive and accept that anything can happen.

“When Life Gives You Lemons…make lemonade.”

Life gives us a lot of lemons which we may want to throw at someone, but instead we should make lemonade.

The phrase means that whenever life gives you lemons (problems), don’t just face them with a sour face.

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This is a great metaphor for our daily lives, as there are so many “problems” we may encounter.

We can either choose to accept the problems and feel negative about it, or simply look at how we can make lemonade out of it.

By changing our attitude, it becomes easier for us to work with what life throws at us!  

Life is a journey, not a destination. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The saying means that no matter where you are now, rather than focusing and worrying about the destination, just be happy with every step you make towards progress and your goals. The journey is all the fun, not the destination.

It is not length of life, but depth of life. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

This means that what matters is not how long we live, but how well we live. Our lives are like a constant motion. We are always doing something, whether it’s work or hobbies.

So, we should strive to live our lives “deeply” by experiencing more things (we can always learn something which may help us in the future).

Life is not about finding yourself; life is about creating yourself. – George Bernard Shaw

This metaphor means that we all have the ability to create ourselves and become whatever we want to be. We should not let our life shape by others’ expectations , but instead, we should live the life that we want to live with no regrets.

Life is like an onion; you peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep. – Carl Sandburg

Since an onion has layers, so does life. The metaphor compares both life and onions to be fickle, volatile affairs.

Life moves from one layer of existence to the next as we peel away new experiences; often times these peels are accompanied by tears along the way.

The key to getting through life is to look upon each experience as a new layer that can shed light on the inner workings of what it means to be alive.

Try to remember that the layers of both life and an onion may make you cry, but the tears are necessary sometimes.

It means that you’re living and growing with each new experience or layer.

The quality of our lives is like a rainbow; we need both ends to see its full spectrum. – Martha Beck

The rainbow metaphor comes from the saying that if we cannot appreciate both the rain and sun, then we will be unable to truly enjoy the rainbow.

In life, we need to have our lows (rain) in order for us to appreciate and understand our highs (sun).

Our lives become richer when we have both ends of the spectrum present, and if we never experience the darker moments in life, we’ll never know how to fully appreciate the sunshine.

Life is like a book: each day is a new chapter, and people are the different characters. – Unknown

A book is a compilation of different elements, words, metaphors and characters. A journey through the pages of a book can be enjoyable because it engages our imagination, taking us on an adventure with each turn of the page.

Life essentially works this way as well; we start each day in our own life story that often unfolds before we know it.

We are the main characters with our own personalities and stories to tell, and we can learn many things about ourselves and others from the metaphors used throughout our daily lives.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. – English Proverb

This essentially means that everyone has different views on what is valuable. This focuses on finding value in things that others may think to be worthless.

A person who can appreciate things that others don’t even notice (like a flower) will know how to see beauty in everything around them.

Metaphors like these help us to realize that what we think to be valuable or meaningful is often not as important as we may think.

Other Interesting Metaphors About Life

Life is like a mirror

Reflect well, and you will be happy in the end.

Life is like riding a bicycle

To keep your balance, you must keep moving. This means that if we want happiness in our lives, we need to stop thinking of the past and move forward; otherwise we’ll never be able to find what we’re looking for.

Life is like surfing

It’s not about how many waves you catch, but the grace with which you ride them. To live happily ever after, we don’t need to go after every opportunity that comes our way, we just have to use the opportunities presented by life in a graceful manner.

Life is like eating an elephant

One bite at a time. As the saying goes “the longest journey begins with a single step.”

We should not let our goals overwhelm us, and focus on taking small steps towards achieving them every day instead!

Life is like a fork in the road

Because we can always choose a different path if one thing doesn’t work out as expected.

Just because something didn’t turn out one way doesn’t mean it won’t work out well using a different method.

Life is like a roller coaster

It’s not about how you start your life, it’s all the ups and downs you have to navigate throughout that make life interesting!

Life is like the ocean

There are times when it’s rough, but overall it has a softness to it that helps us grow. Life may be filled with struggles and problems, but they will make us stronger in time as long as you don’t give up on yourself!

Perfection is an imagination.

We’ll never be perfect, but life is about improving ourselves constantly to reach our full potential.

In the end, we will find peace with who we truly are and find happiness in that, as imperfect beings living in an imperfect world!

What other metaphors have you used before?

No matter how you look at it, metaphors are a powerful way to understand life. They can help us to find meaning and purpose, as well as appreciate the beauty of every day.

The metaphors about life are endless, but these few examples in today’s post should provide you with some inspiration along your own personal journey.

When you look at life through metaphors, you’ll learn to appreciate the small things more often . Let us know which of these were your favorites in the comments below.

Helping people and eating tacos are my jam! This blog exists to help provide tips and resources that can help you achieve your goals and live a better life. Whether you’re looking for tips on personal growth, fitness, advice on starting a side hustle, or resources for working remotely, I’ve got you covered.

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The Train Metaphor: Exploring Our Life’s Journey

• 11/23/2023 11/23/2023

Throughout human history, metaphors have been used to explore and understand the complexity of the human mind. In psychology, metaphors are not only rhetorical elements, but also means through which we can access a deeper understanding of our thoughts, emotions and behaviors. By representing abstract concepts through images or concrete situations, metaphors allow us to visualize and process aspects of our psyche in a more tangible and accessible way.

Without a doubt, one of the richest and most evocative metaphors is that of the train . This image offers us a unique way of understanding the journey of life, with its ups and downs, its unexpected stops and its changing landscapes. By using the train metaphor , we can explore various aspects of the human experience, from a sense of direction and purpose to the way we manage our relationships and difficulties. Let’s take a closer look at how this powerful image helps us better understand the trajectory of our lives and our personal growth.

It invites us to reflect on our own journey, how we interact with others, how we face challenges and how we can take control of our direction and destiny. Like a train ride, life is full of surprises, changes and opportunities for personal growth. It is a reminder that, although not always

This metaphor can be broken down into several fundamental aspects, each of which offers a unique perspective on the human experience and the process of personal growth.

Imagine for a moment that life is like a train ride. Like a train, our life moves in one direction, albeit with many stops and detours. Each station represents different phases of our life: childhood , adolescence , adulthood , and so on. At each stop, some people get on our train (births, new friendships, partners) and others get off (losses, breakups). This journey symbolizes our personal growth, our experiences and how they shape our identity.

Table of Contents

Control and Direction

A question we must ask ourselves is: Are we the drivers of our own train, or are we passengers on a predetermined journey? This question reflects the debate between free will and destiny. In psychology, it emphasizes the importance of taking control of our lives, recognizing that while we cannot always control what happens to us, we can control how we react and how these experiences affect us.

Interactions on the Train

The different people who board our train represent human relationships. Some stay with us for long rides, while others are only present for a brief period. These interactions can be seen as opportunities for learning and growth. Each person who boards our train teaches us something new, offering us an opportunity to reflect on ourselves and how we relate to others.

The Challenges of the Journey

On our train journey, we encounter various challenges: dark tunnels, delays, detours, which can represent life’s difficulties and obstacles. These difficult moments can be seen as opportunities to develop resilience and strength. How we choose to face these challenges can define the course of our journey and our life.

The Changing Landscape

As the train moves forward, the landscape we see through the windows changes, symbolizing how our perspectives and understandings change as we grow and experience life. This ever-changing landscape reminds us that change is a natural part of life and that adaptability is a crucial skill in navigating this journey.

Learnings and Reflection

Each stop on our journey is an opportunity to reflect: What have we learned? How have we changed? What do we want for the next stage of the journey? Reflection is a powerful tool, as it allows us to become aware of our personal growth and how our past experiences inform our present and future decisions.

The Final Destination

The train metaphor leads us to think about our final destination. In psychology, this destination is not seen as a fixed place we all arrive at, but as an ongoing process of development and self-discovery. Life is not about reaching a specific destination but about the journey itself, with all its experiences and lessons.

What is your Life Journey? Tell us

We love reading our readers’ stories. If your life were a train ride, what has been the journey so far? What obstacles have you faced or are facing? What lessons have you learned along the way? Leave us a comment with your personal reflection.

If you like metaphors, don’t forget to check out the bus metaphor , we’re sure you’ll love it.

Ismael Abogado

Psychologist and constant learner of the mind and soul.

2 thoughts on “The Train Metaphor: Exploring Our Life’s Journey”

Shame stops the train at a dark and gloomy station. “Ride on!” she cries, refusing to traverse the fog. Moving without action or achievement, she recalls her destination, but cannot summon it’s importance

Thank you, Ricky, for sharing such a poetic reflection. It’s important to remember that every stop, even the dark and gloomy ones, are part of our journey. May you find the strength to move past the fog and rediscover the significance of your destination.

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Journey as Metaphor

Odyssey (Homer)

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Inspire us, O Muse, my students and I, with the exploits of Odysseus’ journey; transform us with tales of the intrinsic challenges he endured; and guide us, O Muse, as we, like Odysseus, attempt to transcend mind and body toward greater selfrealization and illumination of ourselves as teachers – and as human beings.

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Podsiadlik, E. (2014). Journey as Metaphor. In: Podsiadlik, E. (eds) Anecdotes and Afterthoughts. Bold Visions in Educational Research. SensePublishers, Rotterdam. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-728-5_10

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Metaphor:LIFE IS A JOURNEY

Related Metaphors:

Entailments:

Graph of related metaphors:

digraph meta4tggrph { rankdir="BT" n1 [label="Living" URL="/pub/en/index.php/Frame:Living" fontsize="10.0" ]; n2 [label="Life" URL="/pub/en/index.php/Frame:Life" fontsize="10.0" penwidth=2 style="filled" fillcolor="lightgray" ];

n1 -> n2 [label = "makes use of" fontsize="8.0" color="green" ]; n3 [label="Restore to life" URL="/pub/en/index.php/Frame:Restore_to_life" fontsize="10.0" ];

n3 -> n2 [label = "is subcase of" fontsize="8.0" color="magenta" ]; }

digraph meta4graph { rankdir="BT" n1 [label="ALTERNATIVES ARE DIFFERENT AVAILABLE PATHS" URL="/pub/en/index.php/Metaphor:ALTERNATIVES_ARE_DIFFERENT_AVAILABLE_PATHS" fontsize="10.0" shape="box"]; n2 [label="LIFE IS A JOURNEY" URL="/pub/en/index.php/Metaphor:LIFE_IS_A_JOURNEY" fontsize="10.0" shape="box"penwidth=2 style="filled" fillcolor="lightgray" ];

n1 -> n2 [label = "makes use of" fontsize="8.0" color="green" ]; n3 [label="CANCER IS A JOURNEY" URL="/pub/en/index.php/Metaphor:CANCER_IS_A_JOURNEY" fontsize="10.0" shape="box"];

n3 -> n2 [label = "is related to" fontsize="8.0" constraint=false color="dimgray" ]; n4 [label="LIFE IS A SEQUENCE OF MOTIONS" URL="/pub/en/index.php/Metaphor:LIFE_IS_A_SEQUENCE_OF_MOTIONS" fontsize="10.0" shape="box"];

n4 -> n2 [label = "is related to" fontsize="8.0" constraint=false color="dimgray" ]; n5 [label="PROGRESSING THROUGH LIFE IS MOVING THROUGH A TERRAIN" URL="/pub/en/index.php/Metaphor:PROGRESSING_THROUGH_LIFE_IS_MOVING_THROUGH_A_TERRAIN" fontsize="10.0" shape="box"];

n5 -> n2 [label = "is both a source and target subcase of" fontsize="8.0" color="magenta" ]; n6 [label="RELATIONSHIPS ARE OBJECTS" URL="/pub/en/index.php/Metaphor:RELATIONSHIPS_ARE_OBJECTS" fontsize="10.0" shape="box"];

n6 -> n2 [label = "is a mapping within" fontsize="8.0" color="brown" ]; n7 [label="ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP IS A JOURNEY" URL="/pub/en/index.php/Metaphor:ROMANTIC_RELATIONSHIP_IS_A_JOURNEY" fontsize="10.0" shape="box"];

n7 -> n2 [label = "is in some target relation to" fontsize="8.0" constraint=false color="dimgray" ];

n2 -> n7 [label = "is in some target relation to" fontsize="8.0" constraint=false color="dimgray" ]; n8 [label="ACTION IS SELF-PROPELLED MOTION ALONG A PATH" URL="/pub/en/index.php/Metaphor:ACTION_IS_SELF-PROPELLED_MOTION_ALONG_A_PATH" fontsize="10.0" shape="box"];

n2 -> n8 [label = "is both a source and target subcase of" fontsize="8.0" color="magenta" ]; n9 [label="VIRTUAL MOTION IS ACTUAL MOTION" URL="/pub/en/index.php/Metaphor:VIRTUAL_MOTION_IS_ACTUAL_MOTION" fontsize="10.0" shape="box"];

n2 -> n9 [label = "makes use of" fontsize="8.0" color="green" ];

n2 -> n4 [label = "is a source subcase of" fontsize="8.0" color="magenta" ]; n10 [label="COURSE OF A LIFE IS THE PATH TRACED BY A SEQUENCE OF MOTIONS" URL="/pub/en/index.php/Metaphor:COURSE_OF_A_LIFE_IS_THE_PATH_TRACED_BY_A_SEQUENCE_OF_MOTIONS" fontsize="10.0" shape="box"];

n2 -> n10 [label = "is related to" fontsize="8.0" constraint=false color="dimgray" ]; n11 [label="PURPOSEFUL ACTION IS SELF-PROPELLED MOTION TO A DESTINATION" URL="/pub/en/index.php/Metaphor:PURPOSEFUL_ACTION_IS_SELF-PROPELLED_MOTION_TO_A_DESTINATION" fontsize="10.0" shape="box"];

n2 -> n11 [label = "is both a source and target subcase of" fontsize="8.0" color="magenta" ]; n12 [label="RELATIONSHIP IS A BOUNDED REGION IN SPACE" URL="/pub/en/index.php/Metaphor:RELATIONSHIP_IS_A_BOUNDED_REGION_IN_SPACE" fontsize="10.0" shape="box"];

n2 -> n12 [label = "makes use of" fontsize="8.0" color="green" ]; }

digraph meta4srcgrph { rankdir="BT" }

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Conceptual Metaphor Theory: LIFE IS A JOURNEY

We now turn to the first of two conceptual metaphors used in the quantitative portion of this project, which was the conceptual metaphor that was used in the experimental condition. LIFE IS A JOURNEY was initially proposed by Lakoff and Johnson (1980b), and analysed in Lakoff and Johnson (1999). It is often considered in the literature to be related to the PATH image schema, also referred to as a

FROM–TO schema in Johnson (1987) who described it as consisting of three elements, a start point, an end point and a vector tracing a path between them. Sweetser (1992), on the other hand, argues for "the universal construal of time in terms of space" (1992: 715) as the basis for this metaphor.

Lakoff and Johnson argue that the conceptual metaphor is based on four mappings between the source and target domain:

Journey>Purposeful Life Traveler>Person Living a Life Destinations>Life Goals Itinerary>Life Plan

They also argue that PURPOSES ARE DESTINATIONS and ACTIONS ARE MOTIONS (two more conceptual metaphors presented by Lakoff and Johnson (1980b)), underlie LIFE IS A JOURNEY. They then argue that combining these conceptual metaphors yields the cultural belief that "[p]eople are supposed to have destinations in life, and are supposed to move so as to reach those destinations" (1980b: 61).

This initial presentation by Lakoff and Johnson has several weaknesses. Journeys do not require a purpose. Adjectives such as 'aimless', 'unexpected' and 'unplanned' all collocate with 'journey', making it clear that it is not a requirement that journeys be purposeful. So while LIFE IS A JOURNEY can conceivably be related to linking PURPOSE to DESTINATION, we must observe, following Quinn (1991), Cienki (2008) and MacArthur, Krennmayr and Littlemore (2013), that the actual conceptual metaphor is more complex than the standard CMT formulation of the metaphor. This is especially true for pedagogical purposes.

There are several other proposals for reducing LIFE IS A JOURNEY into constituent parts. Grady (1997a) suggests that PURPOSES ARE DESTINATIONS and CIRCUMSTANCES ARE SURROUNDINGS are two primary metaphors in addition to metaphors related to time. Winter (1995) suggests that the metaphor LIFE IS A JOURNEY is made up of three basic conceptual metaphors CONSTRAINTS ON ACTION ARE CONSTRAINTS ON MOTION and IMPEDIMENTS TO PURPOSES ARE OBSTACLES TO MOTION, in addition to PURPOSES ARE DESTINATIONS. He

labels these "correlative metaphors" (1995: 239). He also provides a more elaborated set of metaphorical mappings which I list below:

Source Domain Target Domain

JOURNEY > LlFE

traveler > person

point of departure > birth

initial conditions > personal

baggage > personal problems

obstacles > external difficulties

distance > duration

distance covered > accomplishments

destination > life purpose

termination > death

Figure 2.2 Winter's (1995:205) metaphorical mappings for LIFE IS A JOURNEY

Semino and Haywood (2005) also refer to the metaphor, but defer to Grady (1997) in noting the existence of 'primary scenes'. Cameron (2007) notes that JOURNEY metaphors frequently occur in English as highly conventionalized language. Gibbs (1994), while noting that the cultural aspects of the myth of the hero's journey reflect the conceptual metaphor LIFE IS A JOURNEY, suggests that the SOURCE–PATH–GOAL schema is the original source, which he attributes to the development of vision tracking (1994: 444).

Yu (1998) examines all of these mappings and presents extensive examples in Chinese, arguing for its candidacy as a basic human metaphor. Kövecses (2002) also uses the conceptual metaphor as the initial example in his first chapter, entitled 'What is Metaphor?'. This is revealing, in that when confronted with the challenge of communicating to readers the content of CMT, both Yu and Kövecses turn to a metaphor that is argued in the literature to be composed of more basic pieces. If this approach is valid for an audience of L1 speakers interested in conceptual metaphor, it would seem that this example would also be appropriate to present to L2 learners as a way to encourage awareness of conceptual metaphors.

Researchers who discuss or reference JOURNEY as a source domain include Semino (2008) who points to its presence not only in literature and politics, but also in descriptions of mental illness, specifically depression. In a similar fashion, Ritchie (2008) presents examples from four different texts using the journey source domain. Charteris-Black (2004) discusses the metaphor in the context of political discourse and Koteyko and Crawford (2008) present its usage in the coverage of a predicted UK avian flu epidemic. The metaphor often is cited in regard to education, including Caballero (2006), who discusses the metaphor in the context of multimedia learning environments and Ellis (2001), who examines it in the output of both SLA researcher and second language learners while Eubanks (2000) discusses it in the context of US- Japan trade. Further examples of target domains include LOVE (Lakoff, 1990; Lakoff & Turner, 1989), NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (Cibulskienė, 2012), SOCIAL

WELFARE REFORM and RECOVERY FROM A LONG RECESSION (Woodhams, 2012), among others. Sweetser's (1992) previous argument for construal of time in terms of space naturally leads to the observation that, because both the target and source domain are structured by time, any individual experience that can be conceptualised with a start and end point can be a target domain (cf. LIFE, A

COLLEGE CAREER, A YEAR IN ONE'S LIFE). Tay (2011⁠) suggests that the process

of therapy may be conceptualized as a journey and observes that the goal-oriented nature of psychotherapy makes journey-related lexical items very useful and "pedagogically motivated" (2011: 64), which helps to explain why this conceptual metaphor is a favourite for practically oriented teaching materials such as Wright (2002), Giovanelli (2015), Clandfield (n.d.), and Holme (2001, 2003) In this project,

some of these additional target and source domains were used in prompts to induce metaphoric language.

The vast majority of the research listed above derives from English texts of L1 speakers, but other research shows that the metaphor is common in Japanese as well. Maynard (2007) presents the phrase jinsei wa tabi da ( 人生は旅だ), for which the English equivalent is "Life is a journey", as an example of the traditional Japanese rhetorical figure mitate (見立て), where "the writer views the primary subject (life) as the secondary subject (journey). These two items are presented side by side without overtly identifying the relationship" (2007: 170). While Maynard argues for a

difference in mitate and metaphor, the basic elements of target and source domain are identical.

Hiraga (2008) suggests that LEARNING IS A JOURNEY is a traditional concept of Japanese mental models of education (also Berendt, 2008). Matsumoto and Tokosum (2008) describe a computational model of utterance interpretation and use as the test input from 15 Japanese university students who were presented with the metaphor "Life is a Journey" in Japanese. They were asked to describe their associations, emotions, thoughts and interpretations of the metaphor and provided 302 propositions for the metaphor that were used as the input for the model. The students also reported that they were familiar with the metaphor from Japanese textbooks and considered it a "lesson" or a "moral" (2008: 70)

It is likely that the Japanese students encounter the metaphor in the opening passage of one of the most famous works in Japanese literature, Matsuo Bashō's 奥の 細道 (Oku no hosomichi: translated alternately as The Narrow Road to the Deep North and The Narrow Road to the Interior). This poem is generally required

reading for junior high school students (Nakajima, 1995). Bashō was a Japanese poet famed for haiku, short poems of 17 morae organised in a 5-7-5 pattern and the book is a travelogue about his journey to the North (Oku), an area that is undeveloped and dangerous, hence the narrow road (hosomichi). Based on his journey on foot made with a travelling companion in the late spring of 1689, it is written in classical Japanese, and is considered one of the classics of world literature with the opening lines memorised by students.

月日は百代の過客にして、行かふ年も又旅人也。舟の上に生涯を うかべ馬の口とらえて老をむかふる物は、日々旅にして、旅を栖 とす。古人も多く旅に死せるあり。予もいづれの年よりか、片雲 の風にさそはれて、漂泊の思ひやまず...

Tsukihi wa hyakudai no kakyaku ni shite, yukikau toshi mo mata tabi bito nari. Fune no ue ni shōgai o ukabe uma no kuchi toraete rō o mukau mono wa, hibi tabi ni shite, tabi o sumi ka tosu. Kojin mo ōku tabi ni shiseru ari. Yomu izure no toshiyori ka, hen'un no kaze ni sasuwareta, hyōhaku no omohi yamazu…

Figure 2.3 Opening lines of Bashō's Oku no hosomichi (1689)

The months and days are the travelers of eternity. The years that come and go are also voyagers. Those who float away their lives on ships or who grow old leading horses are forever journeying, and their homes are wherever their travels take them. Many of the men of old died on the road, and I too for years past have been stirred by the sight of a solitary cloud drifting with the wind to ceaseless thoughts of roaming.

Figure 2.4 Donald Keene's translation of the opening lines of Bashō's Oku no hosomichi (1996)

Hiraga (2005) notes that Bashō uses both the conceptual metaphors TIME IS A TRAVELLER and LIFE IS A JOURNEY in order to organise both the

microstructure and the overarching composition of the work. Bashō's connection of time to the conceptual metaphor of LIFE IS A JOURNEY helps to underline the importance of the dimension of time. This capacity on the part of the extended conceptual metaphor to organise and provide coherence is a point taken up by Hidalgo-Downing and Kraljevic-Mujic (2015) when they cite Toolan's (2009) assertion that "while metaphor provides lexical coherence, narrative provides

structural coherence and thus they complement each other" (2015: 381). While I do not believe that the dividing line between the extended conceptual metaphor and the narrative can be so easily drawn, the contribution of metaphor to coherence is

intriguing and this thesis is an initial step in exploring that link.

The metaphor LIFE IS A JOURNEY has been used in a previous study for the purpose of raising metaphor awareness and investigating L2 reader responses to literature, specifically Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (Picken, 2007). However, Picken's study is focussed on the readings of metaphors in literary texts rather than production. His studies suggested that awareness may bring other effects but the primary focus was to have EFL students develop the ability to interpret literature and metaphor in literature independently rather than to improve their English output.

This section has tried to give a taste of the range of research done with the conceptual metaphor LIFE IS A JOURNEY. The ubiquity of this conceptual metaphor makes it ideal for intially introducing conceptual metaphor to students. One

particular point to observe here is that studies that research this metaphor have moved from the assertion that LIFE IS A JOURNEY is a conceptual metaphor that is somehow 'internal' to the speaker/writer to the observation that the JOURNEY source domain maps to a wide range of target domains. This can be seen as pushing metaphor researchers to posit more basic mechanisms below the level of the

JOURNEY source domain. Much of this impetus can be attributed to applications and advances in CMT, particularly in discourse analysis. In the next section, I will first discuss how CMT has moved from utilising researcher-created examples to corpus data. I will then discuss how CMT has been incorporated into discourse

analysis and identify some of the conceptual metaphor constructs in discourse analysis.

• The development of Conceptual Metaphor Theory
• Conceptual Metaphor Theory: LIFE IS A JOURNEY (You are here)
• Real data, Discourse Analysis and CMT
• Categorising metaphors
• Metaphors outside language: 4E and distributed cognition
• Kachru and the circles of English (Kachru, 1992)
• L2 metaphor pedagogy
• L2 writing research examined in the context of the Japanese learner of English
• The pedagogical impact of English in Japan
• The Japanese Linguistic Landscape
• Different paths to lexical knowledge
• The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), mediation and symbolic tools
• Vygotsky, mediation and the semiotics of metaphor
• An introduction to multimodality
• Conceptual metaphor: LIFE IS A STAGE/RELATIONSHIPS ARE PLAYS
• Music videos as a genre

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Collectively, metaphors not only help people describe and make sense of their lives, but can serve as a source of encouragement, motivation, or gratitude. There are a number of common metaphors that can be used to inspire you (or help you get out of a rut) in your daily life.

How Metaphors Begin

How do these metaphors develop? As children, we begin to understand and organize the world. If we think of the brain as a filing cabinet, then childhood is when we open the files and label them.

We often spend the rest of our lives putting new material in these old files. If childhood was healthy, then we may have a pretty good filing system. If it was a struggle, then we often see struggles for the rest of our life. We don’t know the origin of many life metaphors, but many have stood the test of time for good reasons.

The Daily Impact of Metaphors

How do metaphors help us make sense of our lives? Metaphors not only help us define and describe an experience, but they can be used to improve our lives in many ways.

For example, some people see life as a battle. Every encounter is a struggle, and if they don’t win, they feel like they have lost. Others view life as an adventure. A new day brings new opportunities to explore, and if something goes badly today, there’s always tomorrow.

If you are facing a challenge, a metaphor might help you see the big picture and give you strength. For example, someone going through cancer treatment may view the journey as climbing a mountain.

Metaphors can also provide a picture that helps others enter your world. It’s true that a picture is often worth a thousand words, but a word picture (a metaphor) can sometimes do the same. Alternatively, a negative metaphor may help you see that you haven’t been living your life the way you wish. It might be the stimulus you need to make changes.

While there are no specific studies looking at commonly held life metaphors and wellness, positive thinking is beneficial in many ways. A general attitude of optimism has been correlated with lower rates of cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease, and infection. 1

Common Metaphors for Life

Metaphors for life are not always obvious. We may have to stand back a long way to see patterns. Because the way we look at life can have a great impact on how our lives unravel, it’s worthwhile to think about the metaphors that fit the life you currently live.

Metaphors can be positive or negative. These are just examples and not every metaphor will resonate with every individual. Take a moment to think of other metaphors that may describe your life or serve you better.

If you see a garden as a metaphor for your life, you may see that relationships with family and friends can be cultivated like flowers or vegetables. Relationships, like flowers, need regular watering. They need sunshine. Sometimes they need to be pruned. Sometimes you need to weed the garden (or eliminate toxic friends).

The end result of careful and regular care, with timely interventions for insect infestations or decay, can lead to plants (or relationships) that are growing, producing oxygen that helps you breathe, and create beauty as they flower.

You may see a battle as a metaphor for your life if everything is a competition or a struggle. In a battle, you are always either winning or losing. If a battle represents your life, you may wish to look at how life isn’t always about winning or losing.

Relationships, especially, are not always a competition. Sometimes it is better to be loving than to be right or win.

Viewing your life as a mission can be either positive or negative. You may feel that you have talents and gifts you wish to share. On the other hand, in believing that you have the truth, you might feel that you need to convince others that your point-of-view is right.

Just as with missions throughout history, your life can be a platform to bring goodness to the world. Alternatively, you may see your mission as the need to impose your beliefs on those who do not wish to hear them.

A journey is a common metaphor for life as it reminds us that the destination is not our only goal. Like with any form of a journey, there are times when the roads are straight and times when they are winding. There are ups and downs and potholes along the way. And there are often wonderful surprises and fun discoveries that you would never have experienced if it wasn’t for the route you chose.

An Adventure

An adventure can also be a beautiful metaphor for life. We don’t always know where we are going, but the thrill of our travels (day to day living) leaves us excited and ready to see new things.

A building is a solid metaphor for life and can be a reminder that a sturdy foundation is needed before building higher. Once you have a firm foundation in place, whatever that means to you, it’s easier to confidently add floors and rooms which will stand the test of time and weather.

A Roller Coaster

A roller coaster can be a metaphor for life or it can describe the speed bumps we encounter. For example, people with cancer know the roller coaster effect of a challenging diagnosis. Using the metaphor of a roller coaster also illustrates what many people who have had hardships understand so well.

You don’t fully experience the high points of your journey without the contrast of the lows. As recent proof of this theory, studies are now finding that being diagnosed with cancer changes people in positive ways as well as introducing challenges.

A Stained-Glass Window

The metaphor of a stained-glass window illustrates not just the variety of lights and colors which make up our world, but the beauty in every person and situation. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude by taking the time to see what isn’t obvious at a quick glance can be illustrated by this metaphor.

A Mountain Climb

Climbing a mountain is a great metaphor for many parts of our lives. It can describe our education or the steps we take in climbing the corporate ladder. Life often consists of hierarchies.

This metaphor also illustrates that it often takes hard work, determination, and sometimes sheer endurance to get where we wish to go. Most mountains paths are not directly uphill, but take us down through valleys to get to the next peak.

Emotional resilience  allows you to follow the trail as it descends before it turns the corner and heads back up again.

A race can be both a positive and negative metaphor for life. In the biblical sense of the metaphor, we are called to run the race of life not only for the prize.

A race can also be a negative metaphor as in the “rat race” of our lives, describing how sometimes we are so busy going from one place to another that we never really stop to enjoy any particular moment. In yet another negative sense, a race can describe the practice of always finding the fastest route, or needing to keep up with the proverbial Joneses.

A Courtroom

If you view life as a courtroom, life can be challenging. In a courtroom, everything in life should be fair. Real-life, however, is not always fair. Good people die young and criminals go free. If you try to constrain your life to the metaphor of a courtroom you open yourself up for repeated disappointment.

Stepping Stones

Stepping stones can be a metaphor for life in many ways. In a negative sense, stepping stones may describe the phenomena in which we barely get comfortable where we are before we are looking for a better job or a bigger house. In another sense, stepping stones can be a very positive metaphor of a life lived with goals in mind, and conscious awareness of the steps needed to get there.

In yet another sense, such as those stepping stones crossing a stream in a Japanese garden, they can describe how we sometimes take a detour right or left along our way to prevent negative influences from catching up with us.

A Classroom

Life is a classroom in so many ways and there are always new lessons to learn no matter your age. This metaphor can be a reminder to keep your mind active and learning throughout your life.

A prison can be a metaphor for a life in which you feel out of control. You may feel like you don’t have choices and that others have the power. If this is you, it might be helpful to visualize a key to the door by which you can escape to your freedom, and what that might mean in real life.

Learning to reframe a situation  such as this can shift your perspective and change everything.

A battery can be a life metaphor of being drained and recharged through life, such as the daily drain of energy-related to work, followed by weekends and evenings in which to recharge. Often taking small periods of time to recharge at frequent intervals leaves your battery less likely to die (lose all energy).

How to Use Metaphors

The examples above are just a few of the life metaphors that illustrate people’s lives. What metaphor(s) fit your life? Do they work for you or do they cause problems and limit your choices? It’s possible to change metaphors or modify yours (such as adding the key to the prison cell) but it can take some effort.

Taking the time to think about the metaphors which fit your life can be used to find patterns that aren’t working well for you, to motivate you in positive directions, and to help you cope with the obstacles we all periodically face. Think of your life metaphors today, but don’t stop there.

Periodically re-think your life metaphors. Are they positive metaphors that bring you peace and contentment, help you reach goals, or allow you to see the beauty around you? Or are they negative metaphors which are limiting your life?

The particular metaphors you choose should be those that fit you alone, not somebody else. Good mental health includes having life metaphors that help you see the big picture of your life. After thinking about your life metaphors, learn about other ways in which you can become a positive thinker and reduce stress in your life.

source:  www.verywellmind.com/metaphors-for-life-2330716

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• Published: 30 April 2019

Using the ‘journey metaphor’ to restructure philosophy of religion

• Timothy Knepper 1  

Palgrave Communications volume  5 , Article number:  43 ( 2019 ) Cite this article

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This essay forwards a new orientation and point of origin for philosophy of religion—an orientation that does not privilege theism, and a point of origin that does not begin with the attributes and proofs of God (and thereby privilege theism). To do so, it turns to the metaphor theory of George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, specifically their analysis of the metaphor life is a journey . It draws on the internal structure of the journey metaphor to identify its core, constituent parts: journeys have a point of origin and destination, a route that is planned, obstacles and sights that are encountered along the way, and a traveler who is accompanied by and encounters other travelers. It then uses these core, constituent parts to generate five philosophical questions about the “journey” of the self and five philosophical questions about the “journey” of the cosmos: (1) Who am I (as traveler)?; (2) Where do I come from?; (3) Where am I going?; (4) How do I get there?; (5) What obstacles lie in my way?; (6) What is the cosmos?; (7) Where does the cosmos come from?; (8) Where is the cosmos going?; (9) How does the cosmos get there?; (10) What obstacles lie in the cosmos’ way? The majority of the essay then shows how each of these questions generates topics for global philosophy of religion and embraces content from a diversity of religious philosophies. Thus, this essay concludes that the journey metaphor is able to offer a new orientation and point of origin for philosophy of religion that is inclusive of a global diversity of religious traditions.

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Why the journey metaphor.

The premise of this paper is that philosophy of religion is in need of a new orientation and point of origin—an orientation that does not privilege theism, and a point of origin that does not begin with the attributes and proofs of God (and thereby privilege theism). Footnote 1 I won’t spend time offering arguments to support this premise, save to maintain that if philosophy of religion is to be the philosophy of (all) religion, then it needs not only to include all religious traditions and communities (insofar as possible) but also to treat all religious traditions and communities evenhandedly. Insofar as philosophy of religion begins with and remains confined to the philosophical problems of a certain theistic (Christian) God, it can do neither.

My premise is merely the launching point for the rest of my paper, which seeks to offer a different orientation and point of origin for “global-critical” philosophy of religion—philosophy of religion that is globally inclusive of many different religious traditions and critically informed by the academic study of religion. Footnote 2 (Henceforth, I will drop the “global-critical” adjective and just speak of “philosophy of religion” since philosophy of religion really ought to be global and critical.) In my view, there are at least three places where one could look for such an orientation and point of origin: one could turn to a religious tradition that is not theistic, look for the philosophical commonalities in all religious traditions, or seek an orientation and origin that is not proprietary to any religious tradition. For reasons that I’ll now explain, my preference is for the third option.

For me, the first option risks repeating the mistakes of the Enlightenment—i.e., making some particular religious tradition normative in the philosophy of religion. Supposing, for example, that we look to East Asian religious philosophy for a new start for philosophy of religion. Our central topics and issues might then concern moral, political, and mystical philosophy: how to live in harmony with the natural, social, and spiritual worlds; how to organize states that are conducive to flourishing and balance, especially in relationship to “heaven/nature” ( tian ); how to actualize and return to states of non-differentiated unity. Don’t get me wrong; these are all important topics for philosophy of religion. However, if these issues are made the normative ones, then traditional-theistic philosophy of religion ends up looking deficient and strange (rather than the other way around). No doubt, there is something attractive about this. The powerless become powered; the powerful, powerless. Still, if philosophy of religion is going to be global, then it needs to be as inclusive as possible—leveling the playing-field as much as possible, and including as many players on the field as possible. Option one does not achieve these goals.

Realizing the failure of option one, option two looks for commonalities between all forms of philosophy of religion. This is to assume that there is a common philosophical core to all religious traditions such that every philosophical question asked by one religious tradition or community would have answers from all the other religious traditions and communities. However, as we can already see above from East Asian religious philosophy, this assumption is dubious. Maybe, though, there are commonalities to the belief structures of all religious traditions, just not to the forms that their philosophies of religion take, à la perennial philosophy? Maybe, for example, all religious traditions have “higher powers” or “ultimate realities” about which to philosophize? Well, of course many do, but not all. So, if we followed this second route, religio-philosophical traditions like certain Buddhisms and Jainisms and Confucianisms would end up looking deficient or strange. Moreover, the second option just isn’t possible without some sort of starting point or hypothesis. I therefore favor the third approach, adopting a starting point that is not proprietary to some particular religious tradition, while also paying attention to how these categories of inquiry fit all religious traditions and communities.

Instinctively, we might think that option three is the weakest of all. Why look outside the traditions of philosophy of religion for the topics and issues for philosophy of religion? Well, one reason is that the topics and issues of philosophy of religion would not be the “property” of any one form of philosophy of religion. So, we would not have the problem of all the other forms of philosophy of religion trying to fit themselves to it. Another reason, of course, is the failure of the first two options. If there isn’t significant overlap between the forms of philosophy of religion, then we can’t really look to one particular form of philosophy of religion or the commonalities between all philosophies of religion. However, the best reason will simply be the success of option three in providing topics and issues for philosophy of religion that do not privilege any particular form of philosophy of religion and that are inclusive of all philosophies of religion. It will be the burden of the next two sections of this paper to demonstrate, or at least intimate, this success. Of course, though, I first need to provide my starting point that is outside all philosophies of religion. This I will do by turning to metaphor theory in general and journey metaphor in particular.

With regard to metaphor theory in general, I draw on the cognitive metaphor theory of George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, which provides an account of how human thinking is structured by metaphors, especially those drawn from concrete bodily experience. At the heart of this account are two claims: humans draw on concrete bodily experience in understanding and expressing abstract concepts, and humans do so by systematically structuring abstract concepts in accordance with bodily experiences. For Lakoff and Johnson, this systematic structuring is performed by “primary metaphors,” which map sensorimotor experiences to subjective experiences. Take, for example, the sensorimotor experience of warmth and the subjective experience of affection. The primary metaphor affection is warmth maps the sensorimotor experience of warmth to the subjective experience of affection, thereby providing us a way to think about the abstract concept of affection in terms of the concrete experience of warmth.

What’s more, we make this connection both naturally and unconsciously. For Lakoff and Johnson, this is due to a conflation of sensorimotor experiences and subjective judgments in early childhood such that neural activations of a sensorimotor network are immediately “projected” to a subjective network. When we experience of our mother’s warmth along with the subjective experience of her affection, these two experiences get neurologically conflated, with experiences of warmth naturally and unconsciously triggering experiences of affection. Only later, do we begin to differentiate these two experiences, thereby allowing us to deliberately and consciously use sensorimotor concepts to conceptualize and verbalize subjective experiences, even in the absence of their corresponding sensorimotor experiences. We use the concept of warmth to help ourselves understand and express the concept of affection, even when we are not warm.

Given the foundational similarities of early childhood experience, these primary metaphors are, for Lakoff and Johnson, “widespread,” if not universal (Lakoff and Johnson, 1999 : p. 57). Of course, this is not to say that all metaphors are quasi-universal since most metaphors are not primary metaphors. Still, primary metaphors function as the atomic building blocks for the more numerous, molecular, “complex metaphor.” Even the complex metaphor therefore receives an indirect grounding in sensorimotor experience. It is for this reason that Lakoff and Johnson maintain that “[m]any, if not all, of our abstract concepts are defined in significant part by conceptual metaphor” (Ibid.: p. 128).

There is one metaphor in particular that is especially well suited to provide a new framework for philosophy of religion: the journey metaphor. The version of this metaphor that you are probably most familiar with is life is a journey , which uses the conceptual structure of a journey to help us understand and express our lives. By use of this metaphor, we sometimes think of our lives as going somewhere, as following a path, as encountering obstacles on that path, as walking down that path with co-travelers, and so forth. However, the journey metaphor is also used to conceptualize and articulate religious lives , more specifically religious growth, progress, maturation, or cultivation. In fact, the journey metaphor is ubiquitous in the diverse languages, cultures, and religions of the world—a common and ready means by which humans think about and talk about those aspects of our lives that have religious dimensions.

To show how this metaphor can be used to provide a new starting point for philosophy of religion, I must first take a look at its internal structure. According to Lakoff and Johnson, life is a journey is a complex or molecular metaphor composed of the cultural belief that everyone is supposed to have a purpose in life, the primary metaphors purposes are destinations and actions are motions , and the fact that a long trip to a series of destinations is a journey (Ibid.: pp. 52–53, 61–62). This complex metaphor also encompasses four sub-metaphors: a purposeful life is a journey , a person living a life is a traveler , life goals are destinations , and a life plan is an itinerary (Ibid.: pp. 61–62). Finally, the journey metaphor has several entailments or conceptual implications, among which are that one should plan their route, anticipate obstacles, be prepared, and have an itinerary (Ibid.).

I can now draw on Lakoff and Johnson’s analysis of life is a journey to identify the core, constituent parts of the journey metaphor. Journeys have a point of origin and destination, a route that is planned, obstacles and sights that are encountered along the way, and a traveler who is accompanied by and encounters other travelers. Of course, these constituent parts are not themselves philosophical questions or topics, so I need to use them to generate such questions or topics. Here are the five philosophical questions that stand out most to me, each one of which is linked to a constituent part of the journey metaphor:

Who am I (as traveler)?

Where do I come from?

Where am I going?

How do I get there?

What obstacles lie in my way?

The critical reader might by now have several concerns. Let me anticipate and address four of them. First, note that the five questions above are each vague in a way that makes them difficult to answer as stated. The first question, for example, could mean any of the following: Who am I as an individual? Who am I as a member of some group? Who am I as a human being? The five questions above must therefore be asked with respect to the content of philosophies of religion, so as to be able to specify each one in a way that is not only more precise but also explicitly tied to this content. With regard to the first question, for example, the notion of “I” as individual is not present in all religious traditions and communities through time. So, the question “Who am I?” brings into play the question “Am I?” Relatedly, the topics of inquiry with regard to these questions center on the internal parts and external relations of the “self.” Thus, our first question ends up concerning whether humans should be understood as individual entities or as sums of internal parts or sets of external relations. (More on this in the next section below).

Second, one component of the life is a journey metaphor is the cultural belief that everyone is supposed to have a purpose in life. Surely it is not the case that every culture has this belief. True, indeed. Moreover hopefully, my response to the first concern above already anticipates my response to this concern: if it is true that not all cultures or religions think of the self as an individual, then it is true that not all cultures or religions think that every individual has a purpose in life. Still, I want to make it clear that my method for deriving a new set of topics and questions for philosophy of religion does not assume that all philosophies of religion think of individual lives as purposeful, nor even utilize the metaphor life is a journey . As I say above, I do think that the journey metaphor is commonly used in religious traditions to think and speak about religious growth, progress, maturation, or cultivation. More importantly, though, I think that the core components of the journey metaphor (origin, destination, route, obstacles, sights, co-travelers) can be used to generate philosophical questions and topics (traveler, origin, destination, path, obstacles) about which every philosophy of religion has something to say, even if by absence. (More on this immediately below).

Third, it is not the case that a philosophy of religion has to have a positive or explicit answer to the five questions above to have an answer to them at all. Put differently, philosophies of religion can return a “null result” to these questions and do so in a philosophically interesting and important way. As we have already seen, many philosophies of religion “answer” the first question—Who am I?—by, in a sense, not answering it. I am not I but rather I’s or we. Humans are complex internal processes and parts or external relations and obligations. The same holds true for the other four questions. Some philosophies of religion maintain that we do not come from anything and are not going anywhere, or that there is no path intentionally to follow and no obstacles that truly exist. These are among the most interesting and important ways of answering the five questions above, since these answers challenge typical modern-western preconceptions, allow us to see the phenomena of religion more widely, and inspire us to think differently. Footnote 3

Finally, although the five questions above are important and interesting questions for philosophy of religion, as well as questions that are neglected by traditional-theistic philosophy of religion, they are also questions that neglect the topics of traditional-theistic philosophy of religion—for, entirely missing in these five questions are the core problems of traditional-theistic philosophy of religion: the attributes of God, the existence of God, and the problem of evil. My solution to this problem is simple and elegant. It begins with the acknowledgment that in some philosophies of religion it is not only humans in particular but also the cosmos in general that can be thought of as journeying (in the sense of having an origin, destination, path, and obstacles). It then notes that in some philosophies of religion, the crucial relationship is that between humans as microcosm and cosmos as macrocosm. Finally, it shows how reduplicating our five questions with regard to the cosmos yields a second set of rich, inclusive, and fair questions and topics for philosophy of religion:

What is the cosmos?

Where does the cosmos come from?

Where is the cosmos going?

How does the cosmos get there?

What obstacles lie in the cosmos’ way?

Again, I hasten to add that the qualifications above also apply to this set of questions: they will need to be made precise and tied to our philosophies of religion, and null results to them will need to be included. With these qualifications in place, I am confident that these five questions, along with the first set of five questions, offer a radically new point of departure for philosophy of religion, one that can be inclusive of the philosophies of religion of the globe in a manner that does not unduly privilege any one philosophy of religion. Now it is a matter of showing how.

Journeys of the self

In the next two sections I will show how each of these questions generates topics for philosophy of religion and embraces content from a global diversity of religious philosophies. For the sake of space, I consider only 5–6 “traditions” of philosophy of religion around the globe and through time, which for the sake of space I will shorthand as follows: East Asian philosophy of religion, South Asian philosophy of religion, West Asian or Abrahamic philosophy of religion, African and Native American philosophy of religion, and contemporary philosophy of religion. Footnote 4 In doing so, I will engage in a fair amount of generalization, but this is only for the sake of economy in this paper. In reality, I advocate looking at individual thinkers, texts, and debates, rather than generalizing over traditions.

The first question about the self is simply, what is it? It’s important here to note that by “self” I don’t mean a Cartesian self, although that is of course one view of the self. Perhaps to be more accurate, we could ask about the journeyer. Who or what is journeying? As I explained above, this first question leads us into questions about the journeyer’s external relationships and internal processes. Is the “self” an individual being or a set of external relationships with other beings, whether human or not? Is the “self” a substantial being or a set of internal parts or processes? As for content from religious philosophies with which to sharpen these questions, there are of course the rival views of self in South Asian religious philosophy: atman , anatta , jiva , purusha , and so forth. In Southern African religious philosophy, there is the notion of ubuntu , and, if I’m not mistaken, there are similar notions in some Native American traditions. In East Asian religious philosophy, we have the differing understandings of self in early Daoism and Confucianism, even if these are always relational in some sense. Moreover, Abrahamic religious philosophy would make for interesting comparisons with regard to Buber’s and Kierkegaard’s relational selves, as well as the notions of fana and baqa in Sufism. Finally, contemporary philosophy of religion offers the perspectives of cognitive neuroscience and Continental philosophy, each insofar as it undermines the notion of an individual, substantial self. So, in the end, our question about what the self is leads us into interesting territory about whether the self is.

Our second question about the “self” concerns its origins: where does the self come from? Here, I propose tackling questions about how the self understands itself given its origin. So, the question really is this: How does my origin determine or affect what it is that I am as a member of the human species (or some localized people)? Or, to put it succinctly: Why am I the way I am? Here are some elaborations of this question: Am I free or good or intelligent because God created me that way? Or did God create me “broken” in some way? Am I free or good or intelligent because of cosmic or human nature? Or do I have no nature whatsoever? Or am I the way I am because of something I did in a past life? Or because of some fate that has been bestowed on me before or at birth? Or because of the result of thousands of years of random mutation and natural selection? Such questions about the self’s innate freedom, goodness, and intelligence divide fairly neatly between Abrahamic, East Asian, and South Asian religious philosophy. Abrahamic religious philosophy, at least in its Christian and Muslim forms, has wrestled the question of how to reconcile human freedom and divine sovereignty. East Asian religious philosophy, especially Confucianism, has contended about the innate goodness of humans. Moreover, in South Asian religious philosophy one crucial issue concerns in what sense the self is or acquires “enlightenment.” In some African and Native American traditions, there are narratives of a “paradise lost” and what that means for human beings. Finally, contemporary philosophy of religion offers three controversial topics about how humans understand themselves vis-à-vis their “origin”: feminism and patriarchy as a kind of original condition, Darwinianism and biology as a kind of original condition, and Freudianism and psychology as a kind of original condition.

Our third question turns from the self’s origins to its destinations. Here, we are concerned with whether the self survives death and, if so, how. These questions would seem to be among the most pressing for many humans. Moreover, how humans answer these questions sometimes has profound consequences for how they live their lives. Still, in the context of the preceding two questions, one might wonder whether this third question is predicated on false or limited understandings of what the self is. If we are not in fact an individual, substantial, autonomous self, then there isn’t such a “thing” to survive death. Nevertheless, many different religious traditions do maintain the notion of individuated, postmortem, heavenly existence. Interestingly, this view shows up in different cultures across the globe. However, just as interesting is the fact that each of these traditions also contains views of postmortem existence as non-individuated. Still other traditions think of postmortem existence as less “heavenly” and more “familial” (in the sense of reuniting with ancestors/dead). Moreover, in other cases, it just isn’t possible to say what happens after death, or it isn’t important to say what happens after death, or we simply don’t die. Some of the religious-philosophical content to be considered in the context of this question includes, in the case of South Asian philosophy of religion, early Vedic positions, Upanishadic positions, Jain and Buddhist positions, and the positions of some of the “Hindu” philosophical schools. Here, there is no shortage of diverse content. By contrast, there is in East Asian religious philosophy a striking lack of concern with what happens to us after we die, at least in classic Confucian and Daoist sources. However, that lack of concern can and should be contrasted with traditions like Pure Land, in which what happens after death is all consuming. Of course, there is also the importance of ancestors in East Asia, which is also often crucial for many African and Native American traditions. With regard to Abrahamic traditions there is an interesting diversity positions just in the Bible, even if not in the Qur’an. There is also, of course, the mystical traditions of these religions where postmortem unification with God can sometimes be the end of human existence. Finally, naturalistic religious positions in contemporary philosophy of religion bring further enrichment and complexification to the question of postmortem ends.

Our fourth question about the self turns to the paths by which the self reaches its destination. As in the cases of the previous questions, there is an abundance of material to cover—not only different paths for different religious traditions but also different paths within religious traditions. However, there is also, in this case, an abundance of ways to focus this material. One such way would be to look at whether these paths primarily involve the body or the mind or both. Another way would be to look at the difference between “cat” paths and “monkey” paths. Here are yet more ways: Does the path lead to a postmortem, other-worldly destination or to a this-life, this-worldly destination? Does the path require multiple lifetimes or just one? Should the destination be the focus of the path, or does focusing on the destination distract from the path? Does the path need to be found or chosen, or are we already on it and just need to realize that? But the way of focusing this material that I prefer most of all involves the relationship between morality and religion. Whereas many of students whom I have taught assume that the whole point of religion is to teach and reinforce morality, some religious philosophers have argued that to focus on conventional morality and social conformity is to lose the spirit and substance of religion. To put the matter in terms of question four, it is to get distracted from one’s religious path. If I were to focus the material of the fourth question in such a way, I might look first at trickster figures in African and Native American religious philosophies. In South Asia, the content would instead concern amoral and immoral paths as found in some Tantras, Krisnaivisms, and Shaivisms. In East Asia, things are a bit tamer, probably because of the influence of Confucianism. Still, there are certain Daoisms and Buddhisms that offer ostensibly amoral or immoral paths. In the case of Abrahamic religious philosophy, there are certain mystics in the Christian and Muslim traditions who say or do morally questionable things, at least within the context of their societies. Moreover, in contemporary philosophy of religion there is of course the work of Soren Kierkegaard, as well as intriguing material about the relationship between religion and morality in feminism, post-colonialism, and cognitive science of religion.

Our final question about the self looks at the obstacles that prevent it from reaching its destination. When I originally considered the topic of destinations under question three, I focused on the question of whether the self survives death and if so how. Here, I look instead at this-worldly side of our ultimate destinations—salvation, enlightenment, harmony, attunement, obedience, submission, health, flourishing, and so forth. My leading question in this case is: What keeps us from reaching these destinations? Or, to put this question a bit more precisely: What keeps us from living the way we should? In a sense, this is a question of ethics; in another sense, not. One way to think about this question is as the flipside of the fourth question above. There, we looked at the relationship between religion and morality, asking how we should live, focusing on the issue of whether this requires going “beyond morality.” Here, we instead look at what prevents us from living the way we should, which in some cases is immoral behavior but in other cases is just the opposite. Here is another way in which the content of this question goes “beyond ethics”: For many religious traditions, what prevents humans from living the way they should is not a function of the moral decisions that they make but rather an “original condition” that afflicts them simply by virtue of being human. Christians will know this as “original sin.” In other traditions, it is something else: an original imbalance, or evil urge, or selfishness, or ignorance. In still other traditions, this original condition is existence-itself, which keeps us separated from Brahman or Dao or God or ancestors. In yet other traditions, this condition involves our delusion that there is a problem in the first place—what keeps us from living the way we should is thinking that we are not living the way we should. Of course, there is also the problem of evil beings—demons or witches or even human beings that keep us from living the way we should. Moreover, there is also the fact that, for some philosophers of religion, it is certain humans that keep other humans from living the way they should by creating oppressive social realities. Patriarchy certainly fits here. So does slavery. Perhaps also capitalism. Some would even say that what keeps us from living the way we should is religion itself.

Journeys of the cosmos

I turn now to the “journey of the cosmos,” repeating each of my five questions, but with respect to the “cosmos” rather than the self. Let me begin, though, with a quick word about the word “cosmos” and its journey. By cosmos, I mean simply everything that exists, taken as an ordered whole. This definition is not far from the one given by Merriam-Webster: “an orderly harmonious systematic universe.” But I want to be careful to point out that by “cosmos” I don’t mean “universe,” at least not if “universe” is taken in the contemporary scientific sense. Certainly, our contemporary scientific understanding of the universe is one type of cosmos. We might even say that it is gradually becoming the most widespread and prominent understanding of the cosmos. However, other understandings of the cosmos remain, some of which articulate themselves in relation to the contemporary scientific paradigm. For some of these cosmoses, there are realities more basic and fundamental than physical entities and processes; for others, there are dimensions or universes beyond the scientific universe.

As for the cosmos’s “journey,” of course this isn’t a literal journey. Still, the structure of the journey metaphor offers productive philosophical questions to ask about the cosmos, just as with the self. Here, again, are our five questions about the cosmos:

What is the cosmos (if anything)?

Where did it come from (if anywhere)?

Where is it going (if anywhere)?

How does it get there (if it all)?

And what obstacles lie in its way (if any)?

In the case of each question, the parenthetical comments are crucial. I don’t presume that the cosmos has an origin, destination, and path (etc.)—for to do so would be to endorse a teleological view of the cosmos, which is often present in Abrahamic religious traditions but lacking in other religious traditions. Put simply: I don’t presume that the cosmos is on a journey. Rather, the structure of the journey metaphor gives me the philosophical questions to ask about the cosmos, and these questions can be answered either positively or negatively. Maybe the cosmos has a beginning and end; maybe it doesn’t.

As for the first (sixth) question—what is the cosmos?—we can begin by recognizing that, just as in the case of the self, appearances can be misleading. We might think that the cosmos exists in a manner that is fully independent and real, just as we did with the self. However, answers to this first question show how many philosophies of religion challenge this commonsense view. Perhaps the cosmos is only illusion (as it is in some South Asian traditions); perhaps it is just God (as it is in some South Asian and Abrahamic mystical traditions); perhaps it is really constituted by underlying cosmic principles and forces (as it is in some East Asian traditions); perhaps it is composed by numerous universes (as it is in some Buddhist traditions); perhaps it involves realms of ancestors (as in some African and Native American traditions); or perhaps it is ultimately a heavenly existence with God (as in some Abrahamic and South Asian traditions). Whatever the case, what is particularly interesting is how these cosmologies serve spiritual practices and rituals. In other words, what we often find is that religious cosmologies are not for the sake of doing “science,” but for the sake of offering worlds in which to live religiously. This raises an interesting question that should be dealt with under this question: as our contemporary scientific cosmology grows in influence and importance, how can religious traditions continue to offer cosmologies for religious practice?

Question two (seven) about the cosmos takes up some of the central questions of contemporary theistic philosophy of religion: Does the cosmos have an origin and, if so, what is its nature? Ever since the Enlightenment, if not earlier, philosophy of religion in Europe and some of its colonies has been predominantly concerned with these questions. So much so, that it is just natural for many of “us” to think that these are the central questions for philosophy of religion in general. However, this is not the case. Many other religious traditions don’t think of God as a creator (e.g., East Asian traditions, for the most part; some South Asian traditions). Moreover, some of those religious traditions that do think of God as a creator tend to think of God as a remote and uninvolved (e.g., some African and Native American religious traditions); in these cases, the existence of God just isn’t very important to actual lived religion. This can be a point of instruction for traditional-theistic philosophy of religion: the origin of the cosmos and nature of its originator isn’t generally all that important for most of the religious traditions of the world. Another point of instruction: these questions just aren’t “live” for most religious traditions because they simply don’t matter to practice.

Question three (eight) turns from the origin of the cosmos to its end. In terms of our journey metaphor, the question is about the “destination” of the cosmos. However, I articulate this philosophically by asking whether the cosmos has an end and, if so, what happens after that. In this case, it is necessary to ask these questions not only about the cosmos writ large but also about “this world” or “this order,” where these terms refer to the way things currently are for humans (as a whole), in their habitable space (as a whole), as interpreted religiously. This is due to the fact that, for many religious traditions, the end is not really the end; rather it is merely the beginning of something new or different—a new or different world here on Earth or a new or different world in some other realm, but not necessarily a new or different cosmos. What is interesting about many of these cases (where worlds or orders are said to come to an end) is that they occur during times of significant trouble. Maybe there is a prolonged drought or flood; maybe there is an invasion and life under oppressive foreign rule; maybe there is a natural disaster that significantly alters the practices and structures of a society; maybe there is a rapid change of customs and values that threaten age-old traditions—it is during such times that we tend to see apocalyptic or eschatological religious ideas and practices. Why? Such ideas and practices provide relief in at least two ways: they predict an imminent end to the trouble and a future state without troubles; they predict a reward for those who have suffered unfairly and a punishment for those who have caused this suffering. Content for this question includes the fascinating case of Wavoka and the “Ghost Dance,” fervor for the Messiah or Mahdi in Abrahamic religion, apocalyptic movements in East Asian religious philosophy, the kalpa theory, as well as future manifestations of avatars and Buddhas in South Asian religious philosophy, and attempts to reconcile “religion” and “science” in contemporary philosophy of religion. Footnote 5

Our fourth (ninth) question concerns the “path” of the cosmos. Of course, I am once again not asking about the literal path of the cosmos. Rather, I am using the metaphor of path to generate interesting and important philosophical questions about how the cosmos operates or functions in-between its origin and end (if it in fact has an origin or end). For many of us “moderns,” questions about how the cosmos operates or functions are answered by science: the cosmos operates or functions according to “natural laws.” But many religious traditions believe in and value the occurrence of things that would appear to violate “natural laws”: miracles, appearances of supernatural beings, and other extraordinary experiences. Some religious traditions also believe that some divine mind or cosmic order predetermines everything that happens in the cosmos, even the so-called laws of nature. Perhaps one issue here concerns what falls under the category laws of nature . Are there current laws or laws yet to be discovered that would encompass so-called miracles? If so, do these laws explain away miracles? Or do they provide scientific mechanisms by which miracles can happen? And what about cultures for which the categories laws of nature and miracles don’t exist or aren’t opposed—cultures for which seemingly miraculous occurrences are understood to be part of the natural, this-worldly order? One should be careful in these cases to contextualize religious philosophies. Still, given the dominance of science in our contemporary world, it would be good to focus on that which would seem to elude scientific explanation or violate natural law. These phenomena include lots of different things: physical events in the natural world (e.g., making the sun stand still), sensory manifestations of divine beings (e.g., angelic appearances), mental appearances of divine beings (e.g., hearing the voice of God in one’s head), journeys of the mind or body to alternate realities (e.g., shamanic phenomena), possession of body or mind by divine beings (e.g., trance in some African traditions), healing of body of mind (e.g., African healers), and other extraordinary religious experiences (e.g., achieving a sense of union with God).

Our final (tenth) question examines the “obstacles” that lie in the way of the “journey” of the cosmos. If, per the last question, the “path” of the cosmos concerns its functioning and order, then the “obstacles” along this path will be things that stand in the way of this functioning and order. The question in this latter case is this: what prevents the cosmos from working the way it should? Note this question is always asked from the perspective of some human questioner. It is we humans who have ideas about how the cosmos should work and want to know why it is not working the way it should when some misfortune befalls us. Sometimes this misfortune can be individual: why am I suffering? More likely, though, it concerns the misfortune of the individual’s clan or community. In some cases, it even concerns the misfortune of an entire nation or people. Whatever the case, it is clear once again that what might seem theoretical is actually practical. We humans want to know why we suffer, as well as how and when that suffering will stop. This is true even in the case of the classical “problem of evil.” Of course, many of “us” think first of the problem of evil when considering content relevant to the question of cosmic obstacles. However, it is important to consider the full range of “evil” and human response to it. This includes the “rational” theodicy of karma-samsara in South Asia, the “mystical” theodicy of balance and harmony in East Asia, concern with tricksters, spirits, and witches in some African and Native American religious philosophies, and an increasing focus on “structural evil” and “proactive theodicies” in contemporary philosophies of religion.

Conclusion: which journey, if any, is true?

These are the ten questions that I believe could offer a means of restructuring philosophy of religion to make it globally inclusive. As a “post-scriptum” of sorts, I want to end by observing that one central question of Western philosophy of religion is not among these questions. It is a rather recent addition; nevertheless, it has caused much ink to be spilt. I am referring here to John Hick’s so-called problem of pluralism. Is it the case that only one religious tradition, at most, can be true? Hick, of course, proposed that humans simply can’t know which, if any, religious tradition is true of the “Real in itself.” At best, each human can engage “authentically” with her own religious tradition—the “real as she thinks and experiences it” (Hick, 1999 ).

To put Hick’s problem into the terminology of the journey metaphor is to ask whether it can be the case that all—or at least many—of these religious journeys can be true or useful. Allow me to respond to this issue in two ways. First, this issue should and does find a home within my restructured account of philosophy of religion as a sort of meta-question—an eleventh question, if you will. Where religions offer a coherent system of beliefs and practices, this eleventh question asks whether that system can be true or useful, particularly with regard to the fact that there are other such systems. I suspect that it is this question that will be asked more and more as the inhabitants of our earth find themselves living closer and closer to people of different religious traditions. Nevertheless, I am quick to follow this first response with a second: the philosophy of religion that I practice is not primarily concerned with sorting out either which religious traditions are more or less true and useful or how different religious traditions can all be true or useful. On the one hand, I do not find it as viable and valuable as asking about the forms of religious reasoning with respect to the ten questions above. On the other hand, I tend to think that it is not up to the philosophers of religion to settle this matter (just as it is not up to the philosophers of science to determine which scientific theories are true).

Data availability

Data sharing is not applicable to this paper as no datasets were generated or analyzed.

I contend that philosophy of religion is in need of such a new orientation and point of origin; I do not insist, however, that the framework advanced in this paper must be used in doing so. It is just one of many attempts to reorient philosophy of religion globally. For others, see Wildman ( 2010 ) and Schilbrack ( 2014 ). See also my own earlier attempt (Knepper, 2013 ).

See the forthcoming publications by the American Academy of Religion’s seminar in Global-Critical Philosophy of Religion (GCPR): an undergraduate textbook in GCPR, a teaching supplement in GCPR, and a series of essay volumes in GCPR.

This is one way that my proposal differs from classical “perennial philosophies.” I do not maintain that all philosophies of religion philosophize about the same content or contain the same doctrinal core. I do, however, think that each of my ten questions returns philosophically interesting and important answers, even when those answers reject their questions.

Below, I often treat African and Native American religious philosophies together, not because I think all African and Native American religious traditions are the same, but because there are sometimes interesting resonances between certain African and Native American religious traditions.

Another interesting and important philosophical topic related to this question concerns the ways in which “eastern” philosophies of religion with cyclical views of time have attempted to demonstrate a tighter fit with contemporary scientific cosmology.

Hick J (1999) An Interpretation of Religion: Human responses to the transcendent. Yale University Press, New Haven

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Schilbrack K (2014) Philosophy and the Study of Religions: A Manifesto. Wiley-Blackwell, New York, NY

Wildman W (2010) Religious Philosophy as Multidisciplinary Comparative Inquiry: Envisioning a Future for the Philosophy of Religion. SUNY Press, Albany

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Knepper, T. Using the ‘journey metaphor’ to restructure philosophy of religion. Palgrave Commun 5 , 43 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-019-0252-7

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Metaphors: Life is a journey

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The Metaphor of Life as a Journey

• Teaching with Essential or "Big" Questions

When I was young, I had a distinct feeling that my life was to a large extent planned out for me. I knew the outline of this plan but not the details. There was a distinct schedule that I had to keep. At first, I thought the schedule was created by my parents, but it was much bigger than them.

George Lakoff and Mark Johnson , in the book Philosophy in the Flesh: The Embodied Mind and its Challenge to Western Thought , discuss how we use metaphor to structure our perceptions. One complex metaphor is of life as a journey, like a train trip with a timetable and destinations. You have expectations and assumptions. You imagine that to have a meaningful life you need goals and a plan and you need to stick to it.

And this journey is tied to a concept and identification of self as a traveler, the hero, saint or sinner on the journey. But this “self” transcends “me.” It is a cultural artifact, embedded in a cultural story in which this journey of a self comes alive. We imagine this self is who we are. Thus we might think we are the way others see us, or we think we are the persona or face we live for others. We think we are this traveler identified by cultural destinations like school, marriage, job. This self is a cultural identity as much as a personal one.

We do the same with understanding our own mind and experience. We have this cultural metaphor that mind is the same as the brain or somehow lives in the brain. Maybe we imagine the mind travels in the brain like a passenger on a train, some in first class, some in coach, and we imagine this is just the state of nature, not the state of cultural metaphor.

So when I felt the urge to rebel and couldn’t figure out how to make the transition from college to job, to support myself in a way I found ethical and meaningful, I could no longer stay on schedule. I panicked. I felt a sense of dread. It wasn’t just that I couldn’t find a way to make a living. I wasn’t just a traveler who had missed his train. My very sense of self seemed to dissolve. The underside of the life-as-a-journey metaphor was exposed. When before I was “on track” I was now “off track.” I was “lost.” I had fallen off the train. Confusion was not an acknowledged train stop.

But after falling off the train, I eventually began to see the metaphor as a metaphor. I began to see the implications. If love, success and retirement were the big destinations on the train route, then wasn’t birth the first stop and death the last? The existential shook up the cultural. There was a whole universe of moments I was missing by focusing on destinations instead of feeling the motion of the train and the colors, scents, relationships of all the beings riding along with me.

My mind is not a passenger riding my brain. It is the whole landscape of meaning in which I come alive. It is embedded not only in a body and a culture, but a universe. So, if one way to understand our lives is with metaphor, what is the metaphor we want to live? What story or poem do we want to write with our life? And we need to re-write the cultural story to include the “gap years,” time to “find yourself” or time to step off the train and ride a camel on the silk road. Time to value restructuring society instead of just fitting in.

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Elaine Mansfield

Wonderful post, Ira. Since my book subtitle includes the word “journey,” I’m intrigued by the idea that I made myself the traveler and hero, the winner and loser of this adventure. Maybe writing a memoir is a way to make myself an active agent and less a victim of circumstances. You also make me think of the gap years when I was finding out where I wanted to go. Some lifelong guides appeared in my early 20s such as the spiritual quest and meditation, political values, a partner, rural life, and family, but the shake-downs keep coming with the need to redefine myself.

Thank you, Elaine. I agree with you about the importance of the imagery we use, about our self, the world, friends–everything. How we respond to life with our creativity, to turn on life–or turn it off.

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Rochester mother's journey to recovery after life-altering machete attack

by Natalie Calzetoni & 13WHAM Staff

Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) -- The son of a Rochester woman who was severely injured in a machete attack is sharing more about her courageous recovery.

Tina Schreib's son, Kody Bisig, told 13WHAM that his mother is a graphic designer who raised three kids on her own and has not had an easy life. Now - after being attacked with a machete, she is fighting life-altering injuries and is on the road to recovery.

We do want to warn you that this story contains graphic details about the attack.

BACKGROUND | Rochester woman injured in machete attack

"From seeing her on the bed the first day it happened, I thought my mom was going to die," Kody Bisig said.

Just a few weeks ago - Tina Schreib was allegedly attacked by her partner, David Lampman, and taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Bisig said that Lampman was controlling, and he never liked him.

"Anytime she wanted to come see family or something he would be rushing her out of the house, and he would make you feel real uncomfortable and I don’t know you just got bad vibes from the guy," Bisig said. "My mom kind of got suckered into it because she had feelings for him."

Bisig said his mother had a restraining order against Lampman four months before the alleged attack, but they ended up getting back together and living in the same apartment. The gruesome machete attack allegedly took place on the evening of April 18 - in their Dewey Avenue apartment.

"I’m pretty sure she was planning on leaving him or he took her phone and found some stuff in there that he probably didn’t like and got real jealous and that’s when he took the machete off the wall and started hacking at her," Bisig said. "He hit her in the forehead, hit her in the back of the head multiple times, stabbed her in her back where it destroyed her liver, cut her open from her chest down to her belly button."

NATALIE'S LAST PACKAGE | Police investigate bomb threat that caused delay in Greece Arcadia schools

Now - according to court papers obtained by 13WHAM, Lampman is being charged with attempted murder and assault. Bisig said his mother is on the road to recovery - but is going to live with life-altering injuries.

"She is missing half of her arm now, she is going to have to work on that and it’s going to be a long process," Bisig said. "She is going in the right direction and she’s positive about everything, she is just glad everyone is here to support her," he continued. "She just wants (people) to know that other women that go through situations like this shouldn’t be ashamed to reach out to somebody."

Lampman remains in the Monroe County Jail pending a grand jury indictment.

CLICK HERE to donate to Kody Bising's GoFundMe for Tina Schreib.

If you are in crisis or know someone who is, there are many resources that can help:

Willow Domestic Violence Center of Greater Rochester : 585-222-7233

National Domestic Violence Hotline : 800-799-7233

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The Mummy Turns 25: A Look Back at Brendan Fraser's Triumphant Hollywood Journey

Years after ‘The Mummy’ made Brendan Fraser a blockbuster star, he also became an Oscar winner

 Moviestore/Shutterstock, Daniele Venturelli/Getty 

The Mummy made Brendan Fraser one of Hollywood’s biggest stars — but his journey after that film's massive success wasn't an easy one.

The action-comedy, which celebrates its 25th anniversary on May 7, starred Fraser, now 55, as dashing adventurer Rick O'Connell and became a runaway box office success in the summer of 1999. While Fraser had been an established actor, leading movies like 1992's School Ties and 1997's family-friendly hit George of the Jungle , Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy (an update of the 1932 classic film) launched him to superstardom, made his onscreen love interest Rachel Weisz a major star and kicked off several sequels and reboots beyond the haunted sands of Egypt. 

And while Fraser appeared in both critical and commercial successes in the years since, he also endured hardships that rendered last year’s Best Actor win for Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale at the 95th Academy Awards especially triumphant. 

“I started in this business 30 years ago and things didn’t come easily to me," Fraser acknowledged on stage, trophy in hand. “But there was a facility that I didn’t appreciate at the time until it stopped. And I just want to say thank you for this acknowledgement.”

Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty

In 2018, the actor told GQ that he felt he was blacklisted in Hollywood after an alleged sexual assault at the hands of former Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Philip Berk in 2003 — an incident Berk has disputed. (Upon receiving a Golden Globe nod from the HFPA in 2022 for The Whale , he boycotted the ceremony.) 

Also in 2018, Fraser opened up about the wear-and-tear incurred from his action-packed movies. "I got a little banged up from years of doing my own stunts and needed a surgical fix on the spine and the hinges," the No Sudden Move star told The Telegraph , shedding light on how on-set injuries further affected his mental health. "Absolutely, there was self-loathing . I think on some level I felt I deserved [a beating] and wanted to be the one who got in the first punch."

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Fraser shares three grown sons with Afton Smith, who he married in 1998 and divorced by 2009. The two amicably co-parented Griffin Arthur, Holden Fletcher and Leland Francis, with Fraser living in Bedford, New York and the kids with Smith, 56, nearby in Connecticut. 

In 2016, during a buzzy arc on the TV drama The Affair , Fraser gave PEOPLE a glimpse of family life. “Having a bonfire in the backyard,” he said, was a longtime guilty pleasure. “When the kids aren’t looking, I sneak leftover Fourth of July fireworks into the embers. For them, it’s a combination of protestation and being delightfully gleeful at the same time.”

The actor began publicly dating makeup artist Jeanne Moore in 2022, bringing her as his date to many of the premiere and awards events around The Whale . Winning the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Award, he thanked his source of support : "Without the love of the clarion call that is my girl Jeanne, I wouldn't be able to do any of this.”

It was as The Whale began earning Fraser the warmest reception of his career that he told GQ that he was “in a really good place” in his life following years of struggle. "I feel like I'm still waiting for someone to walk in and tell me that the jig is up,” he told Seth Meyers in 2023. "I know I'm doing what I love… I'm really happy to be able to do that.”

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Also amid his resurgence — the “ Brennaissance ,” it has been dubbed — Fraser appeared in the leather jacket and boots reminiscent of Rick O'Connell at a London screening of The Mummy in January 2023. Saying he was “proud” to have made the unexpected hit in Britain, he added, "We had no idea what kind of movie we were making when we shot this... We didn't know if it was a drama or a comedy or a straight-ahead action, romance, horror picture... all the above?" 

While he’s acknowledged he’d be “open to” reprising his role in the action-packed franchise, nothing Mummy -related is on Fraser’s list of upcoming projects. (He last brought Rick O’Connell to the screen in 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, costarring fellow 2023 Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh .)

Following his buzzy appearance in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon , Fraser will star opposite Josh Brolin, Glenn Close and Peter Dinklage in Max Barbakow's comedy Brothers . Another completed project, DC Studios’ Batgirl starring Leslie Grace, in which Fraser played villain Firefly, has since been pulled from Warner Bros.’ schedule.

Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino: A candid Q&A on overcoming addiction, his book ‘Reality Check’, and life in the spotlight

• Published: May. 07, 2024, 5:30 a.m.

Fans lined up with their purchased books, eagerly anticipating their chance to meet Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino at his book signing event for “Reality Check,” hosted at Barnes & Noble in New Springville on May 1, 2024. (Staten Island Advance/Toniann DiCostanzo) Staten Island Advance/Toniann DiCostanzo

• Toniann DiCostanzo | [email protected]

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, renowned for his role in the hit reality TV series “Jersey Shore,” has embarked on a journey of personal transformation and recovery, chronicled in his latest memoir, “Reality Check: Making the Best of The Situation - How I Overcame Addiction, Loss, and Prison.”

Sorrentino rose to fame as one of the central figures in the wildly popular MTV reality television series “Jersey Shore,” which aired from 2009 to 2012.

Born in Staten Island on July 4, 1982, Sorrentino’s larger-than-life personality and distinctive catchphrases quickly made him a fan favorite.

However, behind the glitz and glamour of reality TV, Sorrentino battled with addiction, which ultimately led to legal troubles and personal setbacks. Despite the challenges, Sorrentino initiated a journey of recovery and self-discovery, which he candidly chronicles in his memoir.

From his days of fame and luxury to confronting the depths of addiction, Sorrentino’s story resonates with audiences worldwide, offering a signal of hope for those facing similar struggles.

After his recent book signing at Barnes & Noble at the Staten Island Mall in New Springville , he shared insights into his writing process, the challenges he faces, and the message he hopes to convey to readers.

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino saying hi to fans lined up with their purchased books at his book signing event for “Reality Check,” hosted at Barnes & Noble in New Springville on May 1, 2024. (Staten Island Advance/Toniann DiCostanzo) Staten Island Advance/Toniann DiCostanzo

Through his resilience and determination, Sorrentino has emerged as an inspiring figure, using his platform to raise awareness about addiction while serving as a testament to the power of redemption and the possibility of transformation.

Q&A HIGHLIGHTS

Can you share what message you hope readers will take away from “Reality Check” after reading your story?

After reading my story, I hope that readers take away the message that recovery is possible and you are not alone. If the Situation can do it, so can you!

What was the most challenging part of writing “Reality Check” and revisiting some of the darkest moments of your life?

The most challenging part of writing “Reality Check” was having to revisit some of the darkest moments in my life and reflecting on how it affected my loved ones.

How do you think sharing your story will help others who may be struggling with addiction or facing similar challenges?

By sharing my story, I hope that I inspire those struggling with addiction and offer some hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. But it’s important to seek help, make positive changes, and believe in yourself. As I always say, the comeback is always greater than the setback.

What role did your family play in supporting you through your journey to sobriety and rehabilitation?

My family played a huge role in supporting me through my journey. If it weren’t for my family and my wife, Lauren, I’m not sure how I would have been able to do it. Their love and support played a crucial role during the recovery process.

In your book, you discuss the loss of friends and family to overdoses. How did these experiences shape your perspective on addiction and recovery?

Losing friends and family to the disease of addiction has been a heartbreaking experience and one no family should ever have to experience. These experiences have only fueled my determination to strive for excellence, which is a major reason why I wrote “Reality Check.” I aspire for my story to motivate others, showing them that I embody the idea that the comeback is always greater than the setback.

What advice would you give to someone who is currently battling addiction and feels like they’ve hit rock bottom?

Even if you feel like you’ve hit rock bottom, don’t lose hope! I encourage you to keep pushing, seek help, and remember that while the recovery process isn’t easy, it’s not impossible.

How has your life changed since getting clean and sober, and what habits or practices have helped you maintain your sobriety?

My life has changed completely since getting clean and sober. My wife and I are happily married with three babies, and being a sober dad is my greatest flex. Focusing on my health and sharing my story with my fans has allowed me to make these big changes.

(L-R) Sammi Giancola, Ronnie 'Fist Pump Brah' Magro, Angelina 'Jolie' Pivarnick, Pauly Del Vecchio, Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi, Vinny Guadagnino, Jenni 'JWOWW' Farley and Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino poses in the press room at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards at Gibson Amphitheatre on June 6, 2010 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage) WireImage

With the success of “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation,”[2018-2024] how do you balance the pressures of fame and maintaining your sobriety?

I’m thankful to have supportive friends and family who are respectful and understanding of my situation. Boundaries are very important during the recovery process. I’m grateful to have a platform where I’m able to raise awareness and continue sharing my life story with my awesome fans, and I hope that I continue to inspire.

Looking back on your journey, what are you most proud of accomplishing in your recovery and personal growth?

I am proud to say that I am eight years clean and sober with a beautiful family. We didn’t come this far just to come this far.

Vinny Guadagnino, Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro are seen on April 22, 2010 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Troy Rizzo/FilmMagic) FilmMagic

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For National Foster Care Day, single dad shares his story: 'I gain more than I have given'

More than 600,000 children move through the U.S. foster care system in a single year, according to the most recent numbers from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Children's Bureau.

The need is great, 50-year-old single foster dad Peter Mutabazi told USA TODAY, and right in our backyard.

Mutabazi, who lives in North Carolina with his three adopted children, has an incredible story and message for those considering opening their home to a child in need.

"Most Americans say, 'well, I won't foster because I'll be so attached and then I'll have to give them up.' Well, it's not about you," Mutabazi shared on Friday , days before National Foster Care Day , which is marked annually on the first Tuesday of May. "The kids, to them it's life and death."

Mutabazi knows exactly how it feels to have a family, but live as an orphan. At 10-years-old, he ran away from home to live on the streets of Kampala, Uganda because it was safer there than with his parents. Mutabazi lived by a bus stop garbage dump near a market where he would steal food to survive until one of the men he was going to rob asked him a question that changed his life.

'What is your name?'

"In all my years living on the streets, no one had ever asked me my name," Mutabazi writes in his book " Now I Am Known ," released in 2022.

"Anonymity helped me forget myself and remain calloused, detached," he shared in the book. "On the other hand, something about the way this short man asked my name stirred up an unfamiliar hope inside me."

The man who asked Mutabazi his name would keep coming back to the market to find him, little by little offering more connection, like an invitation to a family dinner and the opportunity to go to school that eventually brought Mutabazi to the States.

"I see the best in kids in the worst time possible for them because that is how this man saw me," Mutabazi said. "I was trying to steal from him, but he didn't see a thief. He saw a kid with potential."

Mutabazi sees himself in his kids

Mutabazi shared how his story helps him connect to the children coming through his home.

"Having lived unwanted, unloved, seen as the worst of all in society, and overcoming that really helps me to see my kids the same way," Mutabazi shared. "I was seen as a thief, dirty little boy who didn't matter in life. I feel sometimes in foster care that is how the kids feel. My mom doesn't want me. I've been in seven homes, and no one wants me. It really helps me understand where they're coming from. I understand the trauma they have."

And Mutabazi has a sweet method to help children through those traumatic experiences, which he wrote about in his book.

When an adoptive or foster child is struggling and has shut him out, Mutabazi makes sure the family dog is there with them for comfort, but also to remind them they are wanted. Around the dog's neck is a bandana with these words:

You matter. You belong. You are loved. You are seen. You are chosen. You are a gift. You are not alone. You are enough. You are heard. You are brave. You are special. You are known.

'I love you that way'

In Mutabazi's many years of fostering, he also learned to let go of expectations and offer grace to children who are acting out or being destructive.

"They didn't choose to come to my home so for me to somehow expect they should respect my things, they should be thankful ... they didn't choose to come there," Mutabazi shared. "I have to be there for my kids by removing myself. I can't make it about me because I will lose why I am doing what I'm doing."

When a child puts a hole in the wall, Mutabazi takes that child to go pick out art that they like to cover it. When there is any other form of destruction because a child is trying to cope or self-protect, Mutabazi works on creative ways to ensure that child feels safe.

"I don't want my kids to feel ashamed for the things that they do that are weird. For me, I'm like, I love you that way. It takes the pressure off them to perform," Mutabazi shared.

"I don't want my children to be what I want them to be. I gotta let them be who they are. That is the greatest need."

Biological parents matter, too

Three in five kids are reunited with their parents after spending time in foster care, according to HHS , but even when it's clear a child will not be going home, Mutabazi works to ensure the relationship with that child's parents can be as whole as possible.

"I understand their bio parents so well because I feel my mother was the same way. She was mistreated and abused in every way shape and form there was. No way she could protect me. She didn't have the power to do so," Mutabazi shared.

"I have empathy towards their parents. The desire to know (the kids') parents and see them as human beings rather than the villains has really helped me," he said, adding that he'd like to see those relationships repaired.

"We find ways to include them in what we do every day," said Mutabazi.

The toughest part of single fatherhood

Mutabazi, who has fostered 41 children, said the toughest part about fostering is the single parenting.

"As a male, I always thought I'd be judged as a dad. And most of my kids don't look like me," Mutabazi shared. He has had the police called on him and has been asked to show proof that he is his kids' father.

"That was the most scary ... others saying, 'Are you worthy to be a parent? You are not good enough.'" he shared. "The hardest part was the judgment outside and the loneliness that comes with it."

"Sometimes we single parents are undervalued, but our kids don't care" Mutabazi said. "Both parents, one parent, we have an opportunity to change someone's life. As you're getting older, as you wait, you can actually be a parent to someone."

Mutabazi's work in foster care

Alongside fostering, Peter runs his foundation: Now I Am Known . One of the most rewarding projects it takes on is room makeovers for teens coming into a new home, he said.

"They never feel they belong or feel it's their home," Mutabazi shared. The room makeovers seek to restore dignity to these kids by allowing them to choose what they want, down to the paint colors, Mutabazi said. The project currently only extends to families in North Carolina.

Mutabazi has a children's book in the works and a parenting book slated to drop in July 2025. You can follow his parenting journey on Instagram at @ fosterdadflipper and keep up with his coming and goings from his website.

Mutabazi said his children gave him a purpose that he didn't know was possible.

"I realize that sometimes I gain more than I have given," Mutabazi said.

Tokyo Disney Resort

The Ultimate Guide to Fantasy Springs

by Andi Sakowski , Communications Manager, Disney Experiences

While we wait in anticipation for the opening of Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea on June 6, we’ve put our excitement into writing a complete guide just for you that includes where to eat, shop, and ride.  It’s your official Fantasy Springs list to plan the ultimate visit!

• Attractions
• Merchandise

Where can you find everything in Fantasy Springs?

Fantasy Springs is located between the Arabian Coast and Lost River Delta in Tokyo DisneySea! This eighth port is themed to a magical spring leading to a world of fantasy and consists of three areas: Frozen Kingdom, Rapunzel’s Forest, Peter Pan’s Never Land, inspired by the Walt Disney Animation Studios films “Frozen,” “Tangled” and “Peter Pan.” The biggest land expansion yet at Tokyo Disney Resort, it’s home to four new attractions, three quick service dining locations, a merchandise shop and a new hotel.

Does Fantasy Springs have its own Hotel?

Yes! Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel is the resort’s newest park-integrated hotel located inside Fantasy Springs and offers guests with park tickets access to Tokyo DisneySea through Fantasy Springs.

What attractions can you ride at Fantasy Springs?

Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey

Set out on a voyage by boat on Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey located in Frozen Kingdom! This family-friendly attraction features the heartwarming tale of two sisters from childhood memories with Grand Pabbie to Anna turning to ice to save Elsa. The adventure is accompanied by songs from the film including, “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?,” “For the First Time in Forever,” “Love Is an Open Door” and “Let It Go.”

Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival

For the first time ever, be transported to where the glowing lanterns gleam on Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival over in Rapunzel’s Forest. This romantic gondola journey retells the tale of Disney Animation’s “Tangled,” from Rapunzel’s tower to the moment we’ve all been waiting for, watching the sky envelope with countless lanterns to the tune of “I See the Light.”

Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure

An all-new adventure, this 3D escapade joins Peter Pan, Tinker Bell and the Lost Kids as they rescue John from Captain Hook and his band of pirates.

Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies

Shrink down to the size of a fairy and board a busy buggie to help Tinker Bell deliver packages throughout the changing seasons of Pixie Hollow. This attraction is perfect for those of all ages!

Where to eat at Fantasy Springs?

Royal Banquet of Arendelle

For the first time in forever, Anna and Elsa have opened the gates of Arendelle Castle to dine inside! Immerse yourself in the world of “Frozen” and discover eats like “Arendelle’s Royal Set.”

Oaken’s OK Foods

Oaken, the shop keeper of Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and Sauna, has opened his doors to the hungry visitors of Frozen Kingdom! The perfect spot to grab a quick snack, you’ll find his signature offering, “Oaken’s Yoo-Hoo Bread,” here.

The Snuggly Duckling

Hidden among the foliage of a massive tree that’s partially growing into the building, dine among the happily-ever-after story of the tavern’s ruffians and paintings created by Rapunzel herself. Here you can find a variety of offerings from savory dishes such as “Duckling’s Dream Cheeseburger” and those on the sweeter side like the “Sweet Ever After Dessert.”

Lookout Cookout

The hideout of the Lost Kids, Lookout Cookout in Peter Pan’s Never Land was made from parts of a shipwreck that had washed ashore. Not only will you find menu items inspired by the Lost Kids, keep an eye out for what they’ve left around such as pajamas and hammocks.

Popcorn Wagon

No trip to Tokyo Disney Resort is complete without trying as many popcorn flavors as possible! You won’t want to miss the ALL-NEW roast beef popcorn flavor found only in Fantasy Springs.

Where can you find “Frozen,” “Tangled” and “Peter Pan”-themed merchandise at Fantasy Springs?

Fantasy Springs Gifts

Located inside the lower level of Fantasy Springs Hotel and only accessible from Fantasy Springs, this shop is where you find “Frozen,” “Tangled” and “Peter Pan”-themed merchandise! You can even find collections themed to the world of Fantasy Springs here.

Springs Treasures

This wagon-style kiosk is located outside the port along the pathway leading from Arabian Coast to Fantasy Springs. Offering a variety of merchandise, this is the perfect spot to stop before or after visiting Fantasy Springs!

For a look at exclusive Fantasy Springs merch, visit our merchandise guide .

We’re watching the hours tick by, a little under a month to be exact, for the opening of Fantasy Springs. Stay tuned as we share everything you need to know, reporting directly from Tokyo Disney Resort!

Destinations: Tokyo Disney Resort , Disney Sea

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