Survival

Fire was precious and elusive to early man for thousands of years. Survival often hinged on whether he had fire until finally he discovered the power to make fire on his own. This was an enormous step forward for man and it triggered an acceleration in evolution.

That's why I feel guilty when I use a book of matches. So many early humans went through a lot of trouble to make fire and I can have it in a snap. Sometimes I don't even close the matchbook cover before striking – the one small step requested of modern man in making fire, and I can't even do that. With no effort I stand on the shoulders of all the humans who came before me. I don't think I deserve this.

My friend Alan was into being a 'survivalist' for a while. He believed that he was better suited for any emergency if he could survive with just his wits and his hands in any landscape. He asked me to go camping with him one weekend. I was about to turn him down when the book of matches on my counter caught my attention. So out of guilt I agreed and he picked me up Friday evening.

We drove to a park not far from my home. He parked and got out. I thought we were headed to the wilderness and I wasn't sure if it was legal to camp in the park. Sitting on the hood of his car, Alan confessed to me that he wasn't really a very good survivalist and he was sure I would turn him down to go camping. So we swung on the swing set for a while and then went home.