About the cover of "Finding Our Fire"

About the cover of "Finding Our Fire": I (Martin Brossman) created it completely at an intuitive level, keeping my ‘right brain’/logical/critical side out of it. It represents passion as well as struggle. I have used a photo of my own hands along with a younger photo of myself making a sword move from Aikido. The fire, the sword, the man, and the hands together are symbols of man's strength and passion, as well as his personal struggles. The cover art is not to be taken literally. It can be seen as evocative symbolism for men's need to express their deepest emotions without resorting to outbursts of anger or violence. Just as the martial artist controls his world of physical strength and emotion simultaneously, the art of a well-lived life requires a man to control his personal "fire" in order to live amicably with others; yet he can not completely douse that fire if he hopes to retain the energy and power he needs to successfully move through his work and personal life with dignity and respect. In the same vein, the title, "Finding Our Fire", is using the word "fire" metaphorically, referring to strength, personal courage and heartfelt emotion. See the cover at http://www.toinquire.com/findingourfire.htm

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