day no. 15,414: bottle rockets and falling sticks

"Nothing remains at last of a flaming rocket except a falling stick." 
-- G.K. Chesterton, What I Saw in America

What sometimes begins in brilliant displays of upward trajectory, falls pathetically to the ground from which it came. That which sometimes begins in bright displays of colorful boldness and vibrant heat ends in cold, lifeless, colorless descent. 

This holds true for individuals...

Matthew 13:5-6
Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.

and for empires...

Exodus 14:13

And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.