Fire?

Today we only see fire in the occasional campfire, inside our barbeque, or on our gas range. On the news we may see a rocket launch or the ruined walls of a building where some fire got out of control. These obvious forms of fire boast red-orange to white-blue flame. They billow with smoke and make the air shimmer through rising heat. These signs of fire are easy to see, they stand out and they are the achievements that we credit fire for: Heat in our shelters, warming food to kill bacteria and make it easier to digest, moving us around the world by propelling our planes and jets, and finally the ability to destroy.
Ah yes, to destroy. It seems all weapons can be boiled down to pointy sticks and fiery sticks. Ha! To think we have come so far when so little has been accomplished.
But I ramble.
Fire fulfills two important niches in our lives. This niches are as important now as they were to the first cave-ape-thing that burnt itself. Fire separates us from the rest of life on earth AND it lets us shape metal. All that other stuff about it giving us heat or light is minor. Fire keeps the dark ghosts out of our cave at night, and lets us make tools during the day. QED.
In closing, take a piece of cake, there is plenty for everyone. Now get out there and shout at me that I'm wrong.

-torwch