Fire metaphors

A friend on facebook put a quote in her status message as food for thought.

Love is friendship caught on fire.

A quick Google search reveals the apparent originator of those words might have come from a man known for his great thinking, Bruce Lee. That point aside, there's something about people using fire as a metaphor for inspiration that I find interesting. Obviously, it's used as a representation of determination, drive and passion. When the subjects of the documentary film Jesus Camp called their organization "Kids on Fire," it's a title of motivation. Fire is a source of power, light and warmth. Who wouldn't want to be compared to that?

But isn't fire also a force of destruction? How many times a year does the news report on people who've lost their homes and all their possessions in wildfires? Therefore, I had to ask my friend who posted the quote, whether the quote really meant something different; if love is a friendship that's on fire, could a friendship be consumed and ultimately destroyed by love?

I can think of a few occasions in my life that certainly would apply to that kind of interpretation.