One Apple A Day #904 - Compass rose
Yesterday I watched a TED talk by Lera Boroditsky on how language shapes the way we think.
Among the many inspiring ideas that she shares, one example came back in my morning meditation.
She talks about the Kuuk Thaayorre, an Aboriginal community in Australia. What's particular about this community is that they don't use words like "right" or "left". Instead, they use the cardinal directions.
When they have to point to something, they don't say things like "it's there on your left" but probably something like "look to the north-northeast".
Often in my conversations, I listen to people stuck in a binary situation. This or that. Do I leave my job and risk everything to chase my dream or give up my dreams to keep my job's security?
It is as if our mind is used to thinking in binary terms, and our language reflects that.
Or maybe vice-versa.
Left or right. This is what we have.
This morning, I was thinking; what would happen if we learn from the Kuuk Thaayorre and shift from the left-right way of thinking to the cardinal directions?
Before a binary dilemma - East I leave my paid job and West I chase my dream - what would it mean to go South? Or North?
Worth trying.