# 5 Fire

Some say language separates man beast. This is founded on the false premise that man is not the beastliest of all beasts. I would contend however that if one single feature is to distinguish man from all other creatures it is our singular capacity and desire to set things on fire. Fire, basis of our culture, parent of all invention, Fire, formerly the business of stars, lightning and volcanoes, now ours to wield. For somewhere in the range of 1.5 million years (Wikipedia) homo-animal has been fooling around with fire. Ritual, language and music are thought to have all emerged synchronously and inseparably from for the sport of congregation by fire. Little by little our methods have evolved. Reverence for the art of fire keeping has devolved, abstracted by its commodification. Yet even as the closed system of Earth's atmosphere tightens its noose, we seem unable to grasp to vastness of our individual and collective dependency on fire. Friend, foe, magical, mineral, material thing. Let us reflect.