Stop Smokey! Start a Fire!

Smokey the bear, our favorite forest fighting friend, has crafted guilt-inducing messages for years. His goal: to convict our consciousnesses and cause the cessation of careless human fire management. Indeed the horrific images of decimated forests coupled with cute depictions of cuddly forest creatures serve his purpose well. By the time a boy turns twelve and enters the ranks of the boy scouts he is firmly indoctrinated by Smokey the bear. I myself subscribe to his views. But I haven't always.

Massachusetts is covered in trees (especially when compared to Utah). The entire state seems to be a forest. My friend Michael had a very large yard worthy of extended exploration. He and I were still in our tender years - perhaps only eight or nine - and the prospects of unsupervised adventures appealed immensely. When around parents we were well-behaved. We were model children: obedient, polite, and not even too loud. Away from parents, however, our actions were less commendable. All semblance of common sense was lost. Social order broke down. Eating random berries seemed like a good idea. Toothpaste was a particularly attractive treat. In the midst of our freedom our more primitive instincts won out.

Fire danced before our mind's eyes - in a similar way I presume to the caveman of old. Its shifting flames seemed capable of entertaining our thoughts indefinitely and we were set on creating it. I admit we had some inkling that what we were doing was wrong but without a firm authority figure directing us that intuition didn't win out. We chose a spot safe from the view of any onlookers. We chose the thickest most dense patch of trees and commenced construction. Tinder wasn't hard to find. The patch of earth chosen for our fire was less than a foot away from a massive trunk of a pine tree. Hundreds of flame worthy branches and twigs covered the ground. It didn't take long before our fire was well under way. We didn't burn down the forest that day but as I reflect on that time I appreciate more and more the direction parents provide. Chaos stems from lack of authority. I'm grateful in that instance we didn't have to pay the full price of our action's potential consequences.