Being Refined by Fire! Part 1
The word “fire” can at times evoke imagery in our minds of something that is destructive, tormenting, disastrous, painful, and even damning. It often carries a negative connotation—just look at what Dante’s Inferno did for the word.
For instance, we may think of having a first or second degree burn from a fire, a woodland being devastated, the loss of a home or even an entire community.
However, not all fire is intended solely for destruction. In fact, the very same woodland set ablaze can be nature’s way of rejuvenating that forest area, burning down the old, and allowing for seeds to produce a new generation of trees that invigorate the forest with new life.
Fire has many other useful purposes. The same fire that can burn down a home, when properly contained, can be used as a means to bring warmth to its occupants by means of a beautifully mantled fireplace. It can also provide the heat needed to produce a meal that warms the body and soul. You gourmet cooks out there, what would you do without the flame from your gas grill or cooktop? How many of us look forward to being able to gather around a fire with our friends and family on a summer evening, enjoying one another’s company with drink, music, and good conversation?
Yes, fire—whether we are on the positive or negative end of receiving it—none can deny that it is truly a marvel and a very powerful force in the universe.
Throughout the millennia, mankind has struggled with fire, trying to determine ways to harness its power and energy.
Throughout the millennia, mankind has struggled with fire, trying to determine ways to harness its power and energy. Co-existing with fire has been no easy task, but mankind has always respected its properties and understood that it certainly does have a force for good. We have come to appreciate that fire can be used even to beautify: for example, think of how precious metals are derived. Is it not through a refining process that is predominantly made up of fire?
With fire, metal is exposed to high temperatures for long periods of time until impurities are extracted from the metal. The process, called cupellation, has been practiced for centuries and is still in use today. The definition of cupellation can draw some interesting parallels between the metal refining process and the modern gladiator.
Cupellation is a refining process in metallurgy, where ores or alloyed metals are treated under high temperatures and controlled operations to separate noble metals, like gold and silver, from base metals like lead, copper, zinc, arsenic, antimony or bismuth, present in the ore.
Who of us would argue the beauty and value of a precious metal, such as platinum, gold, silver, or bronze? Test this for yourself, men: Buy for your wife or significant other any piece of jewelry made from platinum, gold, or silver and gauge from her reaction just how precious it is.
The value of gold has skyrocketed in recent years and has become a cherished commodity—just look at all the “cash for gold” signs or entities that are bent on trying to purchase your gold for the sake of making a profit. Everyone realizes the sustaining power and wealth of precious metals because they have endured the test of time and have maintained their value through the changes of civilizations, monarchs, every conceivable economical structure, and more.
But what does this mean to you, a man living in the twenty-first century?
Although you may not be in the business of refining precious metals, there is much that can be learned from this process, from the standpoint of living a practical and well-balanced life. How so?
Let’s look at this symbolically. Imagine yourself as this roughly hewn piece of metal that has not yet been refined. You may be lumpy, crude, drossy, linked with impurities, and filled with other inferior qualities. Not an attractive visual, but at one point or another, if we made an honest evaluation of ourselves, I’m sure we could all say that we have felt the impact of these adverse qualities in our life at some point.
We may feel lumpy: out of shape, lethargic, non-motivated, a feeling that we do not fit in any circle or social environment.
Or perhaps crude: having an acid tongue, lack of compassion or sympathy for the feelings of others, lack of caring about how others perceive us or the impact that our actions have on those that surround us—such as our friends, family, co-workers, the man or woman driving in the lane next to us, or the person we are standing next to in the check-out line.
Maybe you have felt drossy: disgusted with how you feel, be it physically, mentally, or emotionally. Perhaps you have given up on your appearance because you felt it required too much work and effort to maintain a healthy diet and a steady exercise program, and now you’re feeling the effects: a state of discontent and disillusion.
How about feeling linked with impurities and inferior qualities? Have you ever had the feeling that there are things in your life that weigh you down and prevent you from progressing? This can be the result of impurities that we allow to creep into our lives. It can be in the form of an associate or friend, it can be the things we read, view or listen to, it can also be illicit drugs or alcohol that rob us from our happiness. The list can go on and on. No doubt you can name a few that you have felt prevented you from being the man you knew you could be: “If only, I had just stayed away from…..I would never have had that problem in my life.” We have all said it or thought it—I know I have.
Seeing those qualities for what they are brings us to the ask the questions: What are we to do about it? How do I become refined? Is it possible to walk through the fire as it were and not be charred and scarred?
The key element is to recognize our own shortcomings and not use them as an excuse to be shortsighted, but rather use them to broaden our scope and vision with a desire to bring about good things from the trials and difficulties that we have endured.
What is the fire that refines us today? Are we allowing ourselves to be refined by fire? And, how can I help others to be refined? These are a few questions that will be answered in next month’s article titled “Modern Gladiators, Refined by Fire—Part 2.”What is the fire that refines us today?
About the Author: Martin Alvarez
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