Culture warrior.

Or would you rather be a culture ambassador?

The former sounds confrontational and the latter relational.

One suggests an attack and the other an improvement. Is culture something we capture or create?

One familiar conservative news network refers to culture warriors. Dick Staub talks about influencing culture by being an ambassador.

Think of the connotations. Combative versus peaceful. Force versus influence. Bridge burning versus bridge building.

Certainly there are times when one needs to assertively take a stand. I’m grateful for the true warriors–the men and women of the armed forces who serve and protect–but I’m focusing on metaphors in this instance.

Think about the metaphors you choose and use. They form perception, convey nuance and affect image. They can help and they can hurt.

We shape our metaphors and then they return the favor and shape us.