You Are a Candle

Candles were a lifeline until they became merely ornamental. So, how do the candles feel about this?

When candles were the way we brought light into the darkness, everything looked different at night. There was no glow from a streetlight outside or a city miles away. When the sun went down human activity shifted because it had to. If you needed to be outside in the darkness, your candle was a lifeline.

If you woke in the middle of the night, you’d likely rely on your sense of touch to guide you through your home. By candlelight you’d see some details of things that were close to you and maybe contours of things farther away. You’d still need to move slowly and carefully, because your vision would be limited to a small sphere of gentle light.

Even as the inky black night began to dissolve in the glow from gas lights, candles were steadfast and dependable. The portable flame. The iPhone of fire. So what would a candle observe about the passage of time, and its own changing role in the human saga?