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| Artwork by John Cooney www.cooneyillustration.com |
Parables are stories that carry a lesson, and amongst the best known are the ones from the christian bible. Like many other metaphors they have multiple meanings, though the predominant one is usually linked to the owning authority, in this case a religion. However parables often have relevance outside of the intended audience and are often just as pertinent and instructive in a different context.
The parable of the talents is one such metaphor that is particularly appropriate for those agonizing on whether to jump into networking and social media. And it applies whether one is a student, a home maker, a worker, a job seeker or a retiree.
The story is simple. A rich man is leaving his home for a long journey and he calls his three servants and gives each some money (Talents) according to their skills. Two of them use the money to increase the wealth of themselves and their master while the third chooses to bury his coin to keep it safe from harm. When the master returns some time later he calls the three servants and asks for them to show the result of their efforts. The first two servants reply by showing how they have increased the sum of money by their endeavors and the master praises them and gives them more money to look after. The third servant however takes his master to the pit where he had buried the coin but instead of praise for protecting it the master is displeased by his non-production and according to the story casts the servant into the darkness, giving his coin to one of the more useful servants.
In the christian church this parable is most often used for encouraging the spreading of the gospel, for those with a more material bent it is used to illustrate the principles and benefits of capitalism, but it equally reflects the need to take what we are given in terms of knowledge, skill, perception and wisdom and share it. Social media tools may not be the easiest to manipulate, not because they are complex, far from it, but because we are unaccustomed to bringing our knowledge and our thoughts to light. We are very practiced at delivering what we believe people want to hear or see, and we are extremely industrious and diligent about preparing our presentations, speeches and soundbites. We consume scripted communications whether they are entertainment, political, topical or business oriented and we like to reply in kind.
The parable depicts everyman as the third servant - keeping his talent to himself for fear of it being devalued or lost. He is us, consuming but protecting what has been given, keeping it and himself in the dark. The parable shines light on this misuse of talent telling us that there is manifestly more value in the coin if it is shared, exchanged or used to gain more information, insight and perspective, in short, invested in the common pool of knowledge to gain even more insight or talent.
Social media tools like LinkedIn, Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook have matured and are not just hang-outs for purely social interaction. They now cater for those who want to find out more about the world they live in, the movers and shakers, the thinkers and planners. Dialogue and collaboration are alive and kicking in hyperspace, all you have to do is share your talent.
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| Roman coins (talent was the heaviest) |
The talent was the largest unit of weight in the christian bible. In today’s money one talent is worth about $1,080,000 US.
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