How fire kick started a lot
Have you ever wondered how much of history and humankind’s development is behind fire? The flame you see when you light the stove, or burning logs in your fireplace as you warm your hands and feet. This post is about fire, which is an essential part of our lives on the planet.
Ugga and Grug staring in bewilderment at fire, from the animated movie, The Croods (2013). | (Bernstein 2013)
Dear Patient Reader,
It’s about 2 million years ago, and archaic man (Homo erectus or upright man) has controlled fire for the first time. This instant will change the course of history, redefining the places man can now inhabit. Controlled fire, thus allowing them to explore once too dark, unknown territory and find new settlements. Fire, has given them a light and a heat source, and is an unprecedented discovery.
In its form, fire is defined as “a process in which substances combine chemically with oxygen from the air, giving out bright light, heat, and smoke during the process of combustion or burning” (Oxford Languages).
“Fire has been an asset to the human species for [millenia]. The ability to effectively manage and manipulate fire led to unthought of enhancements [like] heating, cooking, smoke signalling, and the managing of landscapes.”[1] Lighting a candle means many things: It may be that one is in need of a light source during an electricity cut. It can also be symbolic to your faith and belief in the rituals you practice. Light, which comes in the form of a candle flame and lit pits, form part of numerous religious festivals and rites. From the Hanukkah menorah, Diwali lamps, Hindu funeral pyres, the Christian Paschal candle, to Chinese New Year lanterns - Light, and the significance it has in faith is a trusting flame to look upon and to watch as it burns.
Not only is fire both essential and deadly: Fire is necessary for life.
“Fire symbolises many things, including passion, desire, resurrection, destruction, [and] hell.”[2] “[It’s] one of the most important forces in human history. Fire can destroy [a] house and [its] possessions, and it can reduce an entire forest to a pile of ash and charred wood. But, at the same time, fire is extraordinary. It gave humans the first form of portable light and heat”,[3] and still does to this day. In addition, fire is an essential part of people’s diet; for clearing agricultural land to grow the food they sell and themselves eat. Especially, in poorer parts of the world, the integral role fire plays, sustains people’s livelihoods, keeps them warm, fills their stomachs, and provides them with hot, bacteria-free drinking water.
In our everyday lives, we overlook fire as a planetary asset. The burning of the chemical energy stored in coal supports countless industrial operations worldwide, and in turn, provides employment for millions of workers. “Today, we use fire to cook, to [boil] water,[4] for “propulsion purposes, smelting, forging, incineration of waste, cremation, and as a weapon or mode of destruction”[5] In its ravaging life form, fire turns waste to ashes and burns away impurities. Not only is fire both essential and deadly: Fire is necessary for life.
We may not see it burning, but the smoke we see is a sign that human activities run on combustion. We don’t have to be from the Stone Age or the Industrial Revolution to appreciate fire. Fire, and the energy it embodies, is a fundamental force in our world.
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Reference
[1] Jordan. n.d. “The Importance of Fire Safety.” Banner Fire. https://bannerfire.co.uk/blog/the-importance-of-fire-safety/#:~:text=Fire%20has%20been%20an%20asset,and%20the%20managing%20of%20landscapes.
[2] Chris. n.d. “The Symbolism of Fire (Examples from Literature and Religion).” Firefighter Garage. https://firefightergarage.com/symbolism-of-fire/.
[3] Harris, Tom. n.d. “How Fire Works.” HowStuffWorks. https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/fire.htm.
[4] Study Adda. n.d. “On The Trail of the Earliest People.” Study Adda. https://www.studyadda.com/ncert-solution/6th-social-science-on-the-trail-of-the-earliest-people/166/25797.
[5] Wikipedia. 2021. “Fire.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire.
Image
Bernstein, Paula. 2013. “Fast Company.” The Science Of “The Croods”: How Dreamworks Brings Mathematical Efficiency To The Creative Business Of Filmmaking. https://www.fastcompany.com/1682631/the-science-of-the-croods-how-dreamworks-brings-mathematical-efficiency-to-the-creative-busi.
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