ABOUT

THIS IS (kind of) LIKE THAT is (kind of) Like a Cocktail Party.

It’s a fun occasion where ideas from different realms of knowledge mingle and realize that they have something in common.

Suddenly, Barbie and Obama can be in the same sentence, and so can Cold Fusion and Pinterest! It’s a happy world.

TI(ko)LT is the brainchild of a crazy person (that would be me) who uses almost exclusively analogies, metaphors, similes, and comparisons to understand the world around her.

My hope is that TI(ko)LT will provide a new lens through which you can view vastly different concepts as somehow similar or related, whether it’s political issues as they pertain to an anecdote from my freshman year of college, or the pyramids of Egypt in their similarities to cafeteria food.  In these analogies, I hope to bring together two ideas and, in doing so, allow for a deeper understanding of each.

There is an infinity of combinations of all of the little aspects of life, and the beauty of TI(ko)LT is that it’s based on an equation instead of a topic.

That equation goes a little something like this:

____________________is (kind of) like __________________________.

This equation the little black dress of this cocktail party, if you will.

Also, to give you some sense of what to expect, there is a three-week rotations of a general theme: 1) place, 2) people, and 3) things. The category of a post appears in its title. Categories are the fabulous shoes that go perfectly with the dress, but don't distract from it. End result of the combination? Rather than stick to a single idea like, say, the environment, fashion, the music industry, or the thrilling life of Emma Grager, TI(ko)LT will be able to give commentary on all that and everything in between!

[Hint: if you leave your iPod on shuffle, or you try to avoid wearing the same outfit or eating the same meal within a two week time frame, welcome home!]

Whatever “THIS” is on any given occasion, I hope to give you a glimpse of how it is like “THAT.”

The “(kind of)” is more than just kind of important. It’s vital. I know full well that every analogy, or whatever you want to call it, inevitably breaks down at some point. “(kind of)” is the key to recognizing that no matter how similar two ideas or their structure are, there is always some variation.

This is the beauty of God’s good earth: that no two things are identical. Not people, not historical events, not hamburgers, not snowflakes, and certainly not perspectives.

And I can only promise the same for TI(ko)LT: no two posts will be the same.

You are invited to this party I am hosting.

I would absolutely love for you to join the analogical conversation! The truth is you’ll probably find TI(ko)LT to be a strangely familiar place. Little do we realize that linking ideas through comparison is the crux our entire scheme of understanding.

(If you have ever thought something along the lines of:

I like that shirt better than the other one.

This ice cream is sweeter than I remember.

That person was kinder to me than I expected.

I haven’t had a worse day in a while.

This TV show annoys me more than “Jersey Shore”.

I feel like Medicare is as confusing as neuroscience.

…then chances are, you have a comparison-based understanding of the world).

Comparison is the basis of analysis, of understanding what we like and don’t like, of knowing who we are. It is what allows us to make decisions, come to conclusions, and act.

Analogy is simply a form of comparison.

Analogy is introducing two unlikely friends at this party of ours. And watching them slowly sort through Sunday’s game, the latest election poll, their respective day-jobs…until they discover that they both have a passion for French food! And voila! We have a connection.

The Internet in particular is a place of explicit connection. There are “links”, “networks”, and “webs.” And if you can remember the days before Facebook, you’d probably be interested to know that the Internet is only mimicking all other forms of communication.

Pick up your favorite book. Right now. I dare you. And flip the worn, coffee-stained pages of that Shakespeare play or Twain novel, or what have you, to the first paragraph. See if you can make it through a page before you find a comparison.

You see, analogies have the power to make the incomprehensible somehow tangible. In a time of boundless information, I see incredible potential in linking current issues, grand concepts, and new ideas to anecdotal experiences that most of us can relate to.

I’m not the first to have this thought. Neither was the author of that favorite book of yours. This parable approach is as old as time! And it must have been a pretty good strategy if Jesus used it to explain grand theological ideas to unschooled fishermen.

Now, I have a mini collection of metaphors that I’ve invented and memorized over the years, in addition to fresh-out-of-the-oven comparisons, and I’m excited to finally share them here.

So come on in, pour yourself a drink, and find some interesting ideas to chat with!
We’re here to party until we run out of comparisons.

We’re here to celebrate the interconnectedness of life.

I hope you enjoy THIS IS (kind of) LIKE THAT and discover new, bizarre, and surprisingly beautiful connections between ideas in your own little world!