People are magnetically attracted to a wood fire and that is actually perfectly logical. We are the only species on the planet capable of starting a fire. Only man has learned how to control fire.
I have done a little research and found out that we used naturally occurring fire first and then developed the intelligence required for starting our own fires. That makes sense, doesn’t it? I’ll explain.
There have always been fires on earth. Lightning, a volcano followed by fire. Our diet changed from the time when man started to use fire, which was approximately 700,000 years ago. Proteins and other vitamins led to more brain mass. Our brains were able to grow faster. We became more and more intelligent and finally understood how to start a fire. With sparks.
It took us quite a while before we were intelligent enough to have this idea. About 670,000 years. An archaeological excavation in a cave in the Eiffel in Germany indicates when we were first capable of making fire – 30,000 years ago.
In my view, this is one explanation of the connection that man has with a wood fire. The other explanation is that we are an inquisitive species. Even though we were terrified of fire, we wanted to find a use for it.
And that is still true today.
Bart Leenders
