The Paradox
By L. A. Baldwin

Fire -- is it Good or Bad, Positive or Negative, Creative or Destructive? Or, does it, just like Emotion, have two equal sides?

Don't bury it! Understand it!

Do you enjoy any of the following stories, movies, TV shows, or authors?

Sherlock Holmes, The X Files, Agatha Christie, Law and Order, The Three Stooges, Murder She Wrote, Columbo, Independence Day, Cinderella, Tom Clancy, Peter Pan, The Terminator, Ben Hur . . .

Do you consider yourself to be basically a good person? Yes? Me, too. Do you talk about, and wish for world peace? How about a world where everyone is always kind and gentle? Is it possible? Probably, but . . .

Sherlock Holmes without an adventure? The X Files without a file? Agatha Christie without a mystery? Law and Order without crime and chaos? The Three Stooges without idiocy? Murder She Wrote without a murder? Colombo without deception and greed? Independence Day without aggressive aliens? Cinderella without a wicked step-mother? Tom Clancy without a conspiracy? Peter Pan without Captain Hook? The Terminator without technology misused? Ben Hur without spiritual struggle? A hero without a villain?

Our heroes reflect our values. Our villains give life to our heroes. Our heroes struggle against the villains, and in their struggles they gain strength, compassion, and wisdom. The villain provides the means for the struggle.

Anger, Boredom, and Apathy: the villains? It sure does appear that way when you're experiencing one of these emotions, but -- what wonderfully fertile villains. Apathy can create a void, waiting to be filled with new thought. Boredom can push us to action on the new thought. Anger can drive away the fears which keep us from acting.

The Paradox: if everything which we consider to be "bad" was suddenly gone; how much of what we consider to be "good", would never be born? And, how much of what is "good", in it's vision-blinding ecstasy, creates "bad"?

Is the Fire good or bad?