A candle deteriorates steadily, observably, and the end is always in sight. Regularly spaced notches in the wax will tell you exactly how much time a candle has left. An old candle is unique, aging in ways which make it gnarled and remarkable. When it is finished it can be used again. It is, for all intents, eternal By contrast, all we know of light bulbs - these delicate gourds - is that one day they will burn out, though exactly when is hard to say. Sometimes one will flicker when turned on and we know that next time we ask it to shine it will probably give up on us. Light bulbs are the correct way to give light today. When they�re gone, that�s it. No trace of their essence remains They are merely a conduit for chanelling the energy of the universe. until the strain eventually exhausts them. There is no shortage of them; it�s no great loss. True, the luminosity of a candle is warmer but it is a profligate, irrational and unescessary side-effect. I think the Olympic flame at Sydney should be a giant Osram. And if it is nescesssary to pass the thing from person to person wouldn�t a flashlight do? I�m not confident that it will come to pass. People cling to tradition. My old-fashioned friend, when he says a prayer for me lights a candle.
1997, Tim Gadd