On Self-Awareness, Storytelling, & Persuasion

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Three twelve-year-olds.

A lighter.

Boredom.

What do you get?

Nothing good.

A nearby dumpster, often filled with discarded toys and furniture, was our playground.

Today’s gift—a lighter.

Surely it wouldn’t work, right?

It was a bright yellow, translucent lighter with just a bit of fuel left.

I flicked it, and as the flame appeared, I had an idea.

“Let’s build a fire,” I said.

Why?

I was obsessed with survival at the time, and this seemed like a good chance to play the part.

“We’ll clear a dirt patch so the leaves don’t catch fire, then gather sticks and dried leaves.”

We built a perfect little stick tipi.

“So we light it, blow on it gently, and keep it under control.”

My friends agreed.

We tried lighting the leaves.

Every time, the flame went out.

But we kept trying.

Nothing.

Nathan, wearing a black shirt and new black shoes, held the leaves like they were precious.

We kept trying.

And trying.

And trying.

Each flick of that yellow lighter failed to cure our boredom. We started to sweat.

Was it excitement? Fear?

I couldn’t tell. I’d never done anything this stupid before.

One more try.

Just one more.

Time slowed. I watched my thumb strike the lighter.

The world went dark. All I saw was the bundle of leaves.

And then…

Whoosh!

A blazing fire erupted.

Nathan, holding the now flaming leaves, dropped them onto our twig tipi just before the fire could touch his skin.

Within moments, our small tipi became a cozy fire.

Awesome!

Then I noticed something…

My other friend—let’s call him Joe—was marching over with a large handful of leaves.

We didn’t think much of it.

Suddenly, we looked over.

And it was like the sun had invaded our backyard.

A wall of fire spread.

Fast.

Nathan instinctively ran and jumped onto the fire—stopping it.

But in the process, he burned his black shirt, his black shoes, and seared his skin.

Guilt hit me like a freight train.

My stupidity got my friend hurt.

And it could’ve been worse.

What if we’d started a real fire?

I learned something important that day.

Our actions, even innocent ones, can have unexpected and dangerous consequences.

See you next week

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