Friday, February 12, 2010

Fire - Destructive or Constructive?

I'm kind of obsessed with fire. Not arsonist obsessed, just interested. Perhaps drawn would be a better word, for it. How do you perceive fire? Is it a force of energy that creates more than it burns? When someone is on fire, or sparking, they are blasting out this energy that is tangible, and we know at that moment that fire is a good thing. The connection between fire and heat and light can often define relationships, but maybe, I'm becoming overly personal here and simply expressing my own history. What lasts longer - fading light or dying ember?

Understand that I am speaking in mostly figurative terms - I very much know what havoc a fire can cause. When I was 18, we lost our home to fire and I know the sense of displacement and loss that results from a fire. However, when I reflect upon that loss I must also acknowledge the growth which followed the devastation, the awareness of what is truly necessary rather than burden of possessions which we all carry. Fire is powerful and ignites what it touches, yet fire is also, as Matt Lauer said this afternoon, "the greatest symbol of peace in the world." Wouldn't it be lovely if fire didn't have a tendency to destroy prior to enriching the soil with nutrients only created by devastation?

Fire...heat...light...peace...destruction...construction...so much to think about. With what fire are you most familiar?

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