Beautiful Fireworks: Looking deeper than the outer beauty

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This time of year, fireworks are easy to buy, easy to watch, and easy to find annoying when you're trying to go to sleep. Yet they really are beautiful.

Of course there's the outside beauty, the brilliance of the colors and the crackling sounds, but the chemistry and timing behind the scenes reveals a beauty far deeper. The simple components of a fuse, a shell, and some explosives combine (almost magically) into a spectacular show that bonds friends, families, and our country together.

An article from TheVerge.com points out that a Chinese monk was the first to create what we would call a firework - not for viewing pleasure - but to scare away ghosts. Can you imagine the insight and ingenuity (not to mention the courage bordering insanity) it took to develop a cardboard shell stuffed with powders of various explosive elements and then light it on fire? What a plan! It seems like quite the risk for such a short amount of entertainment... but then again, how much more meaningful is that display now that the creators have put life and limb on the line? Even when we set off our own fireworks, we invest a bit of adrenaline (and a ton of money!) to witness this fleeting moment of beauty. A moment where we can breathe in the wonder, smile with our friends, and enjoy life.

 I hope you enjoy the show.


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