Burning two ends? Handle it Wisely!
“To burn the candle at both ends” implies that someone is simultaneously doing two things which are inconsistent or in conflict with each other and is burning out his/her own lifespan with a greater momentum. Obviously the beauty of this metaphor is the visual image of a candle burning from both ends, consuming itself as it burns; and the danger of being burned.
This idiom was coined in 18th century where originally the meaning of this phrase, as given in Nathan Bailey in 1730 in Dictionarim Britannicum refers to the financial aspect of a family when a couple wastes their precious money in two different directions at one point of time., The more general sense of this phrase is to burn oneself out through excess work, stress or play. This phrase when considered from modern understanding denotes living life at a hectic pace with no care for one’s own healthy and happy existence. It is also applicable to the relationships that we get involved without thinking of future consequences, the work life we adopt by compromising our personal life etc.
Burning the candle at both ends implies that the two burning ends will eventually meet, in fact more quickly than one end alone burning, and in doing so, the “double ended burner” is warned that THEY will be the one who is burned from engaging in this duplicity. Now it is time for you to count whether you are someone who is burning two ends of your candle?!
when i read this article it really brushed through some rooms of my memories.
good theme