So have you heard someone say “let’s fight fire with fire!” or “we need to fight fire with more fire!” or ” I’m a fucking moron, because I want to escalate this situation until I get my way”? I truly believe that no matter what version people say they ultimately mean the last version. The context in which I have always heard the concept of fighting fire with fire, has always to basically confront or combat someone or a group of people with greater force till submission is achieved. Sounds awesome if you are a total dick and you want people to submit to you or your group. Remember, you might be a total dick and that actually may sound great, I don’t judge… I’m friends with people that are considered dicks/assholes/morons. Labels are subjective….but that’s for another post…
The Phrase “fighting fire with fire” actually originated from a 19th century method used to PREVENT fires spreading in undeveloped heavily forest areas. Settlers would actually create smaller, controlled fires to create fire breaks in the woods as to prevent potential forest fires from spreading. Have you ever driven through a heavily tree lined area in the Catskills and see a treeless line cut through the mountainside? That’s called a fire break, same concept… If a fire starts on one side, hopefully the treeless area is large enough to prevent the blaze from jumping to the other side! Amazing that this phrase was born from a prevention method and has turned into a response method, a response method that in my opinion is suspect in its usefulness.
So the next time a fire breaks out in your boat’s kitchen, get some more fire and just burn the entire boat. Make sure you are not planning to return any where you just came from…