Nexus: Making Connections and Going with the Flow

The English language cuddles up to its metaphors like a dog in your favorite chair, and just as the pooch, we take our metaphors for granted.  Yes, I'm leading up to Word #2 in my Powerful Words series:  nexus. 


If you're a techie and even if you're not, you've no doubt heard of Nexus, that line of consumer electronic devices owned and promoted by Google.  No?  Well, if you're a seasoned traveler, maybe you know the Nexus program that's run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection that allows pre-screened travelers to enter the U.S. and Canada.


But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let's start with the definition.


Definition of nexus:  a relationship or connection between people or things; a sequence, string, train, succession, flow, continuum, gamut, circle, cycle, chain.  (Whew!  Enough with the synonyms.)


Etymology:  from Latin, nectere, to bind
                     first known use, 1663


You see, creative business ventures know better than anyone the power of metaphors, helping consumers "see" the meaning of a product or service by creating images for us with words, especially figurative language such as the metaphor.


When Google and U.S. Customs and perhaps countless others use the word nexus, they want you to see how their products and services are actually about the connections we not only think we need but that psychologists tell us we can't live physically and emotionally healthy lives without.  The resulting impact is that we then buy these products.  Powerful persuasion, right?


So if we step out of the consumer box for a moment, how can we improve our diction and use this word with skill in everyday speaking and writing?


If you are part of the economic nexus, might you be looking for a financial upswing, maybe a raise in your allowance, or a bull market for your investments?


If you have concerns about the environmental nexus, do you recycle and reuse?  Have you gone green? Are you ready to do your part to prevent global warming?


As a teacher, I am part of an educational nexus, moving in the flow of change so that children may have access to learning and become the people they were meant to be.


And if you're really into the nexus of metaphorical language, your sweetheart may be your nexus of love, engaging you in the captivating cycle of the stages of romance and ending, hopefully, in eternal bliss for the two of you.  That's a nice thought, eternal bliss.


Ah, aren't words grand?  Enjoy your new gift.  Nexus.