The Fundamentals Of Thought
The flame
A single flame flickered atop a lone candle. Bouncing along to it’s own silent melody. It may have been small in size but its essence was boundless. So very beautiful to watch, how could one not be captivated by it? It’s strength, it’s beauty, so pure, so unafraid. It was everything I wished I could be…
Not afraid of rejection, nor the anguish that comes when you realize you are just simply not enough... No, the flame had no reason to fear heartache, to cry from loss, to suffer through the torments known only to man…One might think this would make the flame hollow…empty…even dull. But that is where the beauty of the flame truly lies. And if you stare hard enough you can catch a glimpse of it.
Deep with in the center it burns so brightly, drawing off itself an inner strength that I could not help but be jealous of. What would it be like to be fire? To be free from the emotional shackles of my mind? To live and to exist and to burn.
A life of freedom with no bounds… Is it even possible? To live life without fear? For a brief moment it seemed almost so as the flame swelled up fiercely under my gaze. But then a flicker, a random gust of wind, or perhaps even my own breath caused the flame to jump along the candle top. For a spilt second it was lost, unable to reconnect.
The once seemingly immortal flame was no longer burning bright and strong but was now desperately trying to reclaim itself. In that one single second all its strength, its freedom, the unabashed glory of its power- it was all gone. Flickering in despair it was now weak, needy and desperate, simply struggling to hold on.
Finally it faded.
Extinguished by a simple breath.
And when it ceased to be no more, all it left behind was a mark of ashes and dust. A blackened wick remained holding its secrets. As I watched the small stream of smoke disperse in to the air, itself too now fading away I couldn’t help but think that maybe we weren’t so different after all…
Not afraid of rejection, nor the anguish that comes when you realize you are just simply not enough... No, the flame had no reason to fear heartache, to cry from loss, to suffer through the torments known only to man…One might think this would make the flame hollow…empty…even dull. But that is where the beauty of the flame truly lies. And if you stare hard enough you can catch a glimpse of it.
Deep with in the center it burns so brightly, drawing off itself an inner strength that I could not help but be jealous of. What would it be like to be fire? To be free from the emotional shackles of my mind? To live and to exist and to burn.
A life of freedom with no bounds… Is it even possible? To live life without fear? For a brief moment it seemed almost so as the flame swelled up fiercely under my gaze. But then a flicker, a random gust of wind, or perhaps even my own breath caused the flame to jump along the candle top. For a spilt second it was lost, unable to reconnect.
The once seemingly immortal flame was no longer burning bright and strong but was now desperately trying to reclaim itself. In that one single second all its strength, its freedom, the unabashed glory of its power- it was all gone. Flickering in despair it was now weak, needy and desperate, simply struggling to hold on.
Finally it faded.
Extinguished by a simple breath.
And when it ceased to be no more, all it left behind was a mark of ashes and dust. A blackened wick remained holding its secrets. As I watched the small stream of smoke disperse in to the air, itself too now fading away I couldn’t help but think that maybe we weren’t so different after all…