Over the weekend, I think I might have bought the universe a bit more time by starting and maintaining a pretty ambitious campfire.
For
those of you unaware, the “heat death of the universe” is a phenomenon to
anticipate. At some point in the future, the universe’s expansion will drive
galaxies further apart, extinguishing the very sources of light and warmth. As
the universe reaches its final stage, all stars shall burn out, leaving behind
only black holes and cold, dim remnants of what once was. Energy will disperse,
and the relentless march of entropy will reduce everything to a vast, empty
expanse where no light, heat, or life can exist. Eventually, even black holes
shall evaporate, leaving a cold, dark, and silent cosmos frozen in eternal
stillness.
Well,
this will not happen as long as I’m here with a lighter and a few downed trees
to burn.
For
the better part of an afternoon and into the deep blue night, I fed willow and
fir into a ring of flames as a collection of friends gathered around to bask in
the heat and light of my making. Children poked colors into the flames with
thin sticks, while adults sipped their beers. And in this way, we saved the
universe.
—Mitchell
Hegman
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