America, We’re In the Forge

I’ve recently become a major fan of the History Channel show “Forged by Fire”.  It is a reality/game show where contestants compete to turn raw materials into finished knives thru the process of bladesmithing.  It’s endlessly fascinating watching artists turn raw steel or junk into beautiful weapons or tools.  The show turns the messy process of bladesmithing into four general phases:

1. Heating in the Forge:  Softening the metal so that it can shaped
2. Shaping:  Hammering the hot steel into a new form
3. Quenching:  Cooling red-hot steel to transform it into hardened steel
4. Finishing:  Fine work to turn a blade into a knife suitable for all kinds of useful work

The 2016 election season has been scary for many.  They feel like the country is spinning out of control.  But I suspect this is because we are focussed on this moment, rather than taking a longer view of history.  Our current political world was born out of the fires of World War II and the Cold War.  Republicans and Democrats were forged in opposition to big ideas and big foes.  These shapes have served both parties well for 70 years.  But the Great Recession has shown up the cracks in both parties and it is time to forge a new political reality to last the next 50 to 100 years.

Heating in the Forge:  In this context, the populism of Donald J Trump and Bernie Sanders makes sense.  This is the fire which is softening up American politics.  We’re in the forge now, and the old political alliances are coming apart.  This is necessarily a painful time because the shape we’ve all grown up counting on is changing and we don’t know what the new one will be.

Shaping:  The next four to eight years will be critical and painful, because they will be the time when American politics is reshaped.  Steel is moved by the force of powerful blows of a hammer.  And not just one, but repeated blows over and over again.  We shouldn’t expect the current protests or the conflict we are seeing to go away, because they are the hammer blows.  They are useful and they are necessary to the process, just as the Boston Tea Party was necessary to the forging of the USA in the first place.  

Quenching:   We’ll know the shaping is done when a major event occurs that solidifies the new reality.  After that event, the protests and debates will end as the heat of populism is quenched.  Then we’ll know the final shape of things.  The fear and pain will be over, and the hard work of using our new reality to drive history begins.

Finishing:  Once the new form is set, we’ll have a time where the

new political reality dresses itself up for proper use.  New political legends will replace the facts in our memories (Does anyone really think George Washington would never tell a lie?)  New symbols will be created to reflect the way we have redefined ourselves.  New language will arise to allow us to effectively debate the issues that matter to the new world.  Then we’ll use this finished reality to drive the country forward.

In conclusion, don’t be afraid or lose faith over this moment in history.  If a bar of steel could talk, it would certainly cry out in pain and terror when it is heated and hammered.  But that same bar of steel would one day take great pride in the effective tool it becomes in the hands of an expert bladesmith.  Have faith that America will feel that same pride again on both sides of the aisle. And apply grace liberally to friends and enemies as we suffer through the heat of the forge.

I tend toward iconoclasm...

...although I recognize scripture is not as clear on the subject as I tend to think it is, and I recognize many Christian traditions enjoy statues and other images as useful outreach tools.

(For those who do not know, iconoclasm is a belief that images are inappropriate in Christian worship. Iconoclasts during the Reformation were known for raiding churches and destroying statues by force.)

But, the destruction of the famous Jesus statue in Ohio is a good reminder that any image - even that of Christ - is just a thing made of human hands. It is not God or even a god.

A bolt struck a 62-foot-tall statue of Jesus Christ on Monday outside a church in Monroe, Ohio, and the statue erupted in flames. All that remains is a charred steel skeleton, its spindly arms stretched toward heaven, a gesture that once earned it the nickname "Touchdown Jesus."

Darlene Bishop, co-pastor of Solid Rock Church, says she's simply relieved that the lightning hit Jesus and not the home for at-risk women next door.

Plus, how often do you have the excuse to use "iconoclasm" in a blog headline?

Talk about Bad Timing!

This last week, the local high school in Shelton, CT was upbraided by the CT state Fire Marshall for not complying with the fire code. The local Fire Marshall had been dismissive of the non-compliance, first claiming they had a waiver and then saying that no waiver was needed. Overall, the state felt the school was out of compliance because of lack of sprinklers and external exits for many classrooms. The state is expected to order soon that the school be brought into compliance.

Well, before such an order can be given, an explosion and fire has been reported at the high school during a Freshman girl's basketball game.

Updated 9:01 PM: Here is the video of the story.

Ring of Fire

While I have not tried this at home, this video is pretty cool. A ring of fire using household products! Please note: Mod-Blog neither recommends you actually do this nor are we responsible for anything that happens should you do this.


Ring Of Fire - Watch more free videos

Gas Station Fire Suppression System

I e-mailed this to a few of you, because I was not sure it fit on Mod-Blog, but after watching it a few times, I think it is worth sharing with everyone. If you ever wondered what the Fire Suppression system looked like at a gas station, here is your answer.

Home-made Fireballs

The video says "Be careful." The official word from Mod-Blog is DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! But it is still fun to watch.

Irony in Real Life

CRChair and I had a chat about this yesterday, and I thought it was worth a small post. Amidst the California wildfires, no one has really mentioned that October is Fire Prevention Awareness Month. It is a great irony that the two have coincided. Fire Protection Awareness Month was originally tied to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

It is a reminder to all of us that Fire is not just something for the fireplace, but a real danger to be watchful for every day. Have you checked your smoke alarms yet, and/or replaced their batteries?

Fun With Fire

Mrs. Quizwedge showed me this and I found it quite interesting. The guy uses fire to show sound waves!

Fire Video

Here is a video I took of the smoke rising from the fire.

Fire, Fire, Fire

A Fire broke out near our shop less than an hour ago. Preliminary reports are that it is a brush fire. The flames were really high though, so it could be more than that.