According to a preeminent voice on free will, Robert Sapolsky, we humans used to attribute the weather, especially bad weather, to witches. We assumed that the natural forces we experienced were completely within human control and therefore needed to be blamed on somebody when they didn’t align with our desires.
Thankfully, we no longer think that. We understand that we don’t have free will when it comes to determining greater systems like weather, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Sure there are ways in which we influence those phenomena, but nowhere near outright control.
Fire, however, is something that doesn’t fit quite as nicely into that story, or at least, not yet. There has long been an illusion of control over fire, meaning that when things go wrong — when houses burn, when watersheds are scorched — we turn to blame. I am not saying that nothing is out of our control, in fact we may have more agency when it comes to fire than things like hurricanes, but we also must accept the limit of our control, and in turn, the amount of blame we place on ourselves and others. On the flip side of the coin, we must also be careful with how we attribute credit when we have good outcomes.
I bring this up because I’m thinking about the story of the Midnight Fire, which may be an ideal example of balance between what is and is not in our control. We are neither destined to endure as a species nor fated to fail, yet somewhere in between resides the equilibrium of coexistence. Regardless of how you feel about free will (if you want to dig deeper, please check out Sapolsky’s book, Determined: The Science of Life Without Free Will) finding that sweet spot is crucial to our relationship with fire.
During our most recent meeting in El Rito, we toured the site of the Midnight Fire among other areas, learning that lesson of how our actions can in fact lead to a better outcome. That does not mean we can do it every time for every fire. It does mean that we can do some things while also accepting the natural and inevitable existence of fire. For those unfamiliar with the Midnight Fire, check out this excellent video, Goodnight Midnight, and stay tuned for an upcoming podcast on the subject.
We cannot stop fire altogether just as we cannot eliminate tornadoes or hurricanes or floods. What we can control is our response, both internally and externally. Let us not forget the story of the Midnight as a guiding example of where we can best fit in.
Alex (2-3-2 Communications)