Although most people understand the basic meaning of friendship, they may not comprehend the deeper ideas associated with it. Most simply think of friendship as a social idea, usually with people who are fond of each other and spend much of their time together. By relating friendship to fire, it can be more easily understood.
When imagining fire, thoughts of flames the colors of autumn licking at the sky arise immediately, although there are deeper ideas to the element. With its welcome and warm, inviting touch against one’s face it can offer comfort and protection to those in need. While offering security, fire will always light the way and can sometimes bring back that flicker of hope a person so desperately searches for. Even though people find it helpful almost everyday with cooking, heating, and lighting, fire can also be hurtful at times, turning against man, burning those who misuse it, and unexpectedly causing pain to those who trusted it. A great deal of dedication and work must be put in to keep a fire lit. When in a fragile and weak state, fire can unexpectedly go out with a slight gust of wind but when carefully built up it may strongly rage on, standing up against any who tries to extinguish it. The first flames may come unexpectedly or may have required much perseverance and desire to achieve them. Ranging in size and power, each fire is unique and capable of unexpected changes that must constantly be monitored.
Dedication must be put into a friendship to keep it burning to benefit from its pleasures. When treated right, a friend can supply warmth, compassion, and love. Friends will usually give protection and will try to help each other out whenever one is in need. Welcoming and inviting they are normally fun to be around and help bring joy to each other. Friendship can shine brightly, keeping hope in sight through difficult times and make life easier to bear. Friendships can sometimes go wrong, though. A friend may turn on another for reasons unknown or may have never been a friend before. Friends can seem to disappear in times of need and destroy a person’s hope, smothering him to the ground. A friend may do something hurtful, sometimes meaning to and sometimes not, and a friendship can go bad when mistreated. Friendships can struggle and go through weak and vulnerable times allowing them to die out or when not given up on, they can continue a true bond for many years. When the friendship is going strong, the friends tend to stand up for each other, stubbornly refusing to give in and will try to block and shield each other from the horrors of the world. Friendships can unexpectedly build quickly, but most take time and effort to build up. How much effort and love is put into them determines the bond between the people and that bond will constantly flicker and waver, allowing a change to suddenly happen. Friendships can come and go, grow and fade, brighten and sadden.
When thinking of a friendship similar to a burning fire, one may come to comprehend the idea in a different way. Understanding the fragile flickering of the relationship, a person may be more cautious to damage the bond and may come to enjoy the benefits more. Only when a determined person works at keeping a friendship ablaze can it burn strong and continue to provide warmth, comfort, security, and protection. When mistreated, it can cause pain and destroy lives just as a wildfire would. As long as each person continues to generously throw another woodblock into the fire, friendships can continue to shine brightly.
