A straw flame is a bright flash that releases a massive amount of energy and heat in a very short period of time. The peak of combustion begins almost instantly and doesn't last long, followed by an exponential decline and complete burnout within a highly compressed timeframe.
The straw flame is a highly accurate analogy for a burst of enthusiasm that likely happens to everyone at some point in their lives.
A person lives an ordinary life—daily routines, home, work, family, leisure—but then a sudden shift occurs, an impulse toward something new. This could be a novel idea, an urge to change everything radically, or even a desire to start with a completely clean slate.
Under certain circumstances, a person throws all their energy into realizing a new project. For a while, they might enter a state of hyperfocus (hyperfixation on the task)—a sudden, intense, and complete immersion into a new topic or hobby. The person might spend hours studying the subject, forgetting to eat or sleep. However, because this process requires a colossal expenditure of energy, their resources are quickly depleted, leading to a sharp loss of interest. Consequently, burning through such massive internal reserves in a short period leads to apathy, procrastination, or even depression.
If this approach, as life experience accumulates, happens systematically (periodically), it likely has a direct and lasting impact on self-esteem. Eventually, it becomes a destructive program with which the person identifies—their self-identity.
The result is a kind of vicious circle, or spiral, where with each new turn, breaking the pattern becomes increasingly difficult. Because this chain is structurally simple yet complex (as an overarching program), the brain willingly deceives itself, assuming that "next time will be different." But it won't be different unless something changes.
This approach can be compared to a flawed system where the part responsible for focusing on the final result is implemented, but the foundation of the system—the basis of everything—is missing. The walls are being built, but due to the lack of a foundation, collapse occurs even before the result is achieved.