The world is full of powerful forces. There are forces that effect the entire
society and there are forces that only effect a select part of it. One of the most
powerful forces of nature is fire. Fire is constantly present in today's society.
Whether it be by staying warm or the destruction of private memories and property, fire
is an ongoing influence in society. Due to this fact, it is possible to compare fire and
life in general.
Fire begins with an idea of a spark. Then the spark is made and with the help of
kindling, the flame begins to grow. Once a flame begins to grow it can take many paths
because of the influences of external forces. If a wind blows, the flames change their
direction and velocity and can engulf many other things. On the other hand, if there is
no wind, the fire may burn itself to the ground and never reach its full potential. If
rain begins, the fire is slowed and may even be stopped for good. Oxygen is necessary
for a fire to flourish; without it a fire will whittle and die. Some objects allow fire
to burn for years while others burn out very quickly or are not able to be burned at all.
No two fires are alike, in what they do. Some roam free while others are confined to an
area. A fire is beautiful to some, while to others it is dangerous and hellish.
These phrases can be used to illustrate life, as well. Life begins as a type of
spark. Some believe that life begins at conception, thus showing that life does begin
with a very small, yet significant "spark." Others believe that life begins at birth.
This could be related to the beginning "spark" of life through the way a baby enters the
world, in material form. Humans begin to grow through their experiences and how they
are raised. Each person lives their own life because of the impact these external
factors have on them. As times change, people and attitudes change. This is a fact of
life. Due to certain outside influences, a person may make the best of themselves or
just diminish in the general mass of society. Humans survive and flourish because of
their environment. It is general scientific knowledge that humans survive because of the
oxygen in the air. Without good oxygen content, humankind could not survive. If a
certain part of the country has better air quality, then usually the general public has
less health problems, i.e. asthma. Every human life is different; some are confined to
small places for economic or political reasons. Others wonder and never stay in the same
place for too long a time. As well as this, some people view life as unfair and hard,
while to others it is fair and easy.
Human life can be compared to a fire in other ways as well. Due to diseases and
other underlying factors in today's society, many humans' lives are not allowed to are
continue on. Examples of these factors are: AIDS, cancer, mental illness, and murder.
Fires usually contained but sometimes rage out of control. The majority of the time they
are unpredictable. Human nature is just as unpredictable. Throughout history, humankind
has been very unpredictable and out-of-control. This fact can be proved by just scanning
through a history book -- the Holocaust, the fall of Roman Empire and the assassination
of the Arch Duke of Austria, which began World War I.
Human nature is strange and impossible to understand. Fire is close to the same.
Science can try to come up with explanations of them both, yet the truth is not really
known nor understood. They probably never will be. They will forever be man's greatest
mystery.
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