The Metaphysics of Fire

(A Metaphysical Analysis of Fire from the Perspective of Agere)

 By Lo Ivan R. Castillon


 If we are going to take a glimpse, how fire being discovered, we may look back and turn the pages of our book history during Old Stone Age. Its magnificent discovery was the greatest achievement of all times. Wow! It’s great, great for they enthralled it with its best usage, reveling purpose pointing toward its essence. Primitive people were able to cook their food, to protect themselves from the cold and wild animals and to have light at night. Thus, it was exhibiting its good natured existence. There were so many available materials or objects to be studied.

 However, I find it challenging to take the risk with fire. It is nothing with its sexual connotation rather on its metaphysical element or abstraction. I found it plebeian for it reminds me of everything though it still had rare and queer characteristics to be either object or subject of any study. Basically, most of inventions and new discoveries tend to exist using this very chief element, fire. Fire may represent of something from abstract to even more concrete object.

Notwithstanding, I prefer to focus on its abstract sense. It may be a symbol of love, sexual desire, hatred or war wherein it directs us to the idea or quality of braveness, firm and strong personality. There were times that out of curiosity I meant to lay my bare hands in the flaming wield of fire and abruptly get away from it with feeling of sweltering waking moments that dominates my entire being. A short second of contemplation and somehow became skeptical about its inscrutable existence.

Afterwards, I am convinced that it is real. It is not just an abstract idea but it real in its quiddity of “hotness”. I think it is the way fire present itself in a dynamic presence of being. Within itself the processes of self-communication, self-revealing and self-concealing are manifestations of their inner perfection. The act it overflows into action is the way it acts according to its nature. And it is really true. The action of its act of existence proves its presence relating itself to other being. There is no such thing as fire that causes someone doddering because of its coldness. The fiery fact that fire points forward to its natural self-expression as its way to reach out and influence others thus it manifests its presence to others.

 From the point that my being recognizes its rising into being , it affirms that its existence possesses an active and dynamic presence. It is a metaphysical element that something possesses of something that we cannot tangibly identify by our bare senses. It is an infinite speculation and abstraction that is within of being in existence that we alone can understand with our limited knowledge about it. It is somehow an unfathomable experience of understanding what is within a being that exists albeit its confusing and really seems to be out of this world phenomenon , still a worthwhile searching for the reality of what really real is. The nature of fire itself fulfills its ultimate perfection by performing action in accordance to its nature, a being perfects itself.

Through the essence of fire, we may formulate ideas how important it is in our life. Its goodness that brings to my existence as being, leads me to accede in its way of communicating and revealing itself. It is the very nature to communicate its inner perfection as action rooted from its perfect being. This manifestation of acted upon such akin to its being offers my existence with tremendous reasons permeated with convictions and may be psychological condition to believe its mesmerizing existence and essence. Fire as its hotness is concerned, makes it relevant. It is goodness that vouchsafe me on how it made me realized its presence.

 Despite these positive perspectives I have had in treating the fire, it somehow also a threatening being or object to other being. I particularly refer to the disorders, catastrophes and calamities made by fire. I addition to that, most probably people may somehow get away or avoid directly if there is something with fire. It is maybe due to the effect it brings after such negative reality it bears. Condition? Somehow, it is true. But, it would not stop in that line. For me, it is something within that being of fire and my being get away with such encounter. That would be the activity or action it obtains. It is a mystery that only an abstract concept or metaphysical argument can fully grasp and understand such predicament. It manifests self-expression in which the richness of existence of such being tends to naturally share perfection with others.

On the other hand, it is not only the fire that left its richness to us but vis-à-vis to such, fire also enrich itself from the richness of those around it, including my being – for it is indeed an activity of giving and receiving scenario within that being or to other being in existence. I cannot imagine myself to be a fire. Consequently, it may somehow help me to understand and to corroborate a part of its act of existence and action it follows. The sporadic encounter of fire will surely lead to realization of how important and useful they are. Fire itself as its nature per se, not only tend to be dynamic act of existence, to overflow into action but also this action is a self-sharing. Thus, beings inner perfection with others will be attainable to some extent. All beings have that desire towards fulfilling its own perfection. What life would be like if there is no fire? I think chaos environment and primitive way of life would be the realm of our existence. The discovery of fire means a lot to us. Even the negative or positive effects it conveys to us, we cannot desolate and deny the fact that it is one of the focal point of development, of evolving reality , of rising into existence, of being in reality. Its existence possessed action . action as self-revelation of being is the manifestation of both existence and essence of fire. Its mundane flame relates us that its act of existence is indubitable, that I know that, that it is, present , to be in the real world.

Subsequently, it follows the action powers out by revealing or manifesting itself to any potential being. It is in action that the being provides a venue for self-expression of its real image of itself. It is a tangible evidence to have such in affirming the effects from its causes. Through their accidental properties, we may be able to distinguish the image of goodness it reveals to us. In the end, even how mysterious the fire to us, even how prosaic it is on us, the bottom line for us to remember is to know it as real beings reveal its nature through actions. It may somehow a foolish thing for us to deeply scrutinize its existence, somehow the answers seem to be hanging and added for more confusions and doubts, somehow we feel nothing in the end of our pole, somehow we realize that it do not satisfy us, we must try to believe that behind this unknown reality may we discover and may find peace not in ignorance but in overcoming such ignorance.

With passion and deportment of craving for knowledge are worthwhile points to ponder in this very complicated and dense to understand kind of endeavor. Though it is still inexhaustible and limited by our knowledge just like understanding in the presence of God, the Infinite Source, we still believe to such impalpable reality of agree precisely through its manifestations.