30 avril 2009
Smoke in mythology and religion
In mythology and religion, smoke is full of meaning. Its floating
intangibility and unreal character have made it possible for
imaginative man to see therein mystery and magic. Even for us moderns,
smoke has a strong fascination. To the cigarette smoker, the clouds he
puffs out seem to represent a part of himself. Just as most people like
to watch their own breath on cold winter days, so they like to watch
cigarette smoke, which similarly makes one's breath visible.
This
explains the emotional attitudes of many toward smoke. "Smoke is
fascinating," said one of the people we interviewed. "I like to watch
the smoke. On a rainy day, I sort of lie in a haze in the middle of the
room and let my thoughts wander while I smoke and wonder where the
smoke goes." The desire to make things is deep-rooted -- and smoke is
manufactured by the smoker himself. Smoking provides satisfaction
because it is a playful, creative activity. This fact was well stated
by one cigarette devotee as follows: "It's a fascinating thing to watch
the smoke take shape. The smoke, like clouds, can form different
shapes.... You like to sit back and blow rings and then blow another
rings through the first ones. You are perfectly relaxed." "Got a
Match?" Some of the appeals of a lighted cigarette derive from the
appeals of fire in general. Fire is the symbol of life, and the idea of
fire is surrounded by much superstition. In this connection, it is
interesting to note that traces of superstition can be seen in the
smoking habits of modern man. For instance some people never will light
three cigarettes on one match. It is said that this superstition is
based on experiences during World War I. As three soldiers were
lighting up the third man was hit when the light of a match flared up
for the last time. Our custom of lighting another smoker's cigarette
for him may sometimes have an erotic significance, or it may serve as a
friendly gesture. Match and cigarette are contact points. Smoking
Memories Certain moments in our lives are closely linked with
cigarettes.
These situations often leave on people's memories an
important imprint never to be forgotten. Here is such an occasion,
described by an office clerk of twenty-one. "...I can remember the
moments when I returned home - no matter how late - after having been
out with a girl on a Saturday night. Before going to bed, I'd sit on
the fire escape for a while and enjoy a smoke. I'd turn around so that
I could see all the smoke going up. At the same time, the windows would
be bright with lights on the other side of the courtyard. I would watch
what the people were doing. I would sit, and watch, and think about
what my girl and I had talked about and what a nice time we had had
together.
Then I'd throw the cigarette away and go to bed. I feel these
were really the most contented moments in my life...." "I remember one
time we were in North Africa on a trip and it was evening," said one of
our respondents, a nurse about twenty=seven years of age. "During the
day, I had noticed there was a lovely spot to sit, across the way from
the hotel where we were staying. I went there at night, and sat looking
at the stars and the tall cypresses illuminated against the night sky.
I was far away in my thoughts. I was thinking of God and the beautiful
world he had made. The smoke from my cigarette rose slowly into the
sky. I was alone, and at the time I was a part of all the world around
me...."