A fire lit outdoors, normally ignited after countless matches, newspapers, obscenities, and, finally, coleman fuel, which is normally surrounded by a group of people either telling stories or singing.

There really is something magical about a campfire. Normally inattentive groups of people can be transfixed for hours by a single flickering light when they would probably lose interest in a television show after five minutes. This is one of the many things that restore my faith in humanity.

A fire builds the most primitive form of community - people who have found light in the darkness around them. Isn't that what all communities are based on?