(click to embiggify this awesome photo)
I ask this (the title question), only because, without a lighter or matches or a gas stove or butane torch, it's not exactly something that can be generated without some really extra-ordinary effort. I honestly don't know if I could do it - I've never had to try. Fortunately, we do have these conveniences. I may have mentioned this in the past, and maybe not, but in any case it's worth reiterating. The only thing I know, that you can get for free at a convenience store is a book of matches.
Taken at a certain level, fire is one of the most basic of human technologies. It's so basic in fact, that it might rank in the level of "needs" for survival. At least the kind of survival that I don't want to live without. Taken to its most extreme, harnessing the power of fire has fueled our entire history.
*aside here - I actually posted a ways back - about what would be a good commodity as currency for the apocalypse - and I came up with a case of scotch - which, on it's merits is still a pretty good backup - but dang, once you loose the flame, what would you trade for a book of matches?*
Anyhoo - I wanted to take a tangent from this, into salt. I was forced a while back, by circumstance, to purchase a new supply of salt for the Casa Aloha. It used to be that salt was one of the most precious commodities humans had. It wasn't that is was exactly a commodity like metal was, (hell we got along just fine with stones) it was a basic technology. Who was the genius that thought up the idea to put salt on meat? whoever it was, made the leap from "this is here in front of me now" to, "This will be here five days, or ten days, or twenty from now." And that's the beginning of civilization.
Anywise - I went to the store the other day to buy some salt. I wasn't happy about it, but I had to. Thing is, I went to the salt isle, and a pound of generic salt was 99 cents. I actually paid an extra 60 cents to get the Morton's salt girl on my container. I just liked the packaging better.
Point being, what people used to wage wars over, salt, waaaay back in the day, were wars that would determine the outcome of entire nations. And now, it's available for less than a dollar a pound. I dunno about you, but a dollar in my book, is worth almost next to nothing. And although I wouldn't be happy about it, I'd probly be willing to shell out a buck for a book of matches.
And now we're done with my little rant. There's nothing life changing or revolutionary here, but there is something to appreciate in the commonplace. At any restaurant you get salt for free. Why? I dunno, guess it's cheap enough to give away. Same idea with fire. How does this have anything to do with anything? I can't say...but yet, building on this preposterous quicksand, we've somehow managed to create
this.
