Lighting the fire of your soul (DW #870)
Steve Chandler likens our human motivation, inspiration and growth to this campfire. It is an apt metaphor in many ways.
Unlike the spirit, a campfire is easy to observe and understand, because we can step back from it and observe it. After a night of camping, we can emerge from our tents the next morning and notice with satisfaction that the campfire has gone out. We don’t curse the campfire for going out, and we don’t think life is unfair because we have to start another fire again the next night.
Yet we don’t have that same simple understanding of the spirit. We are confused by the human spirit. We think there is something wrong with the universe in which the spirit must be renewed each day. We don’t see the gift in that, because we don’t see that the spirit is just like a fire.
It is good that the campfire must be relit because it gives you control over the fire. You can start it or you can pour water over it and put it out. When you realize that you have that same kind of control over the human spirit, you will know how to live. I’m not saying you will be happy forever, but you will always know how to be.
And knowing what you know will make all your experiences of ‘unhappiness’ feel temporary and inconsequential. Being unhappy will never be a big deal again because you’ll experience it the same way you experience ‘being tired.’"
So, when the campfire goes out, you don’t moan and groan and complain do you? You know if you want to be warm tonight, you will simply need to light another fire. No big deal.
And so, our spirit, our inspiration growth and motivation is kind of the same as the fire. Once lit, it is highly unrealistic to expect it to last for ever and ever. That once we make one fire, we would never have to make another one.
The good news is that once you have the knowledge and the tools, you can light the fire on a daily basis. And because you are so good at building the fire, it takes less time to get going!
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