The Freedom To Burn

Since I was a kid I've had a friend. And unlike the other kids who had "invisible" friends who they spoke to, and to the enlightened, understood that the invisible friend spoke back. And not unlike Jimmy Stewarts old friend Harvey, My old friend speaks to me. And while other kids outgrew their secret companion as the got older, my old friend is still around occasionally and still speaks to me if I will hold still long enough to hear. Last night my old friend caught me in a moment of unusual tranquility and came around for a visit. I sat motionless gazing up at the stars when my friend first spoke and while', at first I was a little startled, I recognized his voice and continued in the dialog that lasted only a couple of moments.
My friend spoke to me of freedom, the freedom to burn. You see, my friend explained, you are a lot like me, you are born, and catch oxygen, and as you grow you catch heat. The trend continues until you are on fire. And given enough oxygen and heat your fire grows ever hotter and you start to consume the things around you and you give off more and more heat until eventually the sum of what you are is consumed and your energy is expended and starts to cool but your ember glows in the night, and as sparks fly off of you and soar into the night sky that others might see your light. and every piece that breaks off to fly soars ever skyward until that little ember flashed to eternity and the spent ash falls to the ground and goes on to feed other fires far into the future.
That's Freedom my friend, You are a fire burning, flaming, and glowing. And your sparks fly and you consume what's around you and reshape it to something good and you share your flame with others and they catch fire. And you do what you were sent here to do, you burn and your heat grows and you share and you consume and finally leave the essence of yourself for others to pick up and nourish and grow and start to create their heat. The oxygen is supposed to be the government, and it's their job to ensure that you have enough oxygen and fuel to grow and consume and heat until you are spent. That is their job, and your job is to burn in freedom.
Our government has decided that you do not really have the right to grow and consume and to share and to heat, and they are attempting to restrict your oxygen and deny you the fuel you need to have heat. But as my old friend explained last night, that it is our destiny to burn, we are born to it, it is our heritage. If you do not burn, you are failing from your commandment as a person.
Everyone burns, some so fast that the ember barely is seen, others slow and deliberately as in the wisdom of the ages. Either way we have a job, and the job will be done by you or by the ash of your life that is left behind for others to nourish with. Burn, you have the freedom still to burn, don't let anyone steal your heat, run until exhausted, and walk in God's strength.
But above all Burn!