There was enough oil in there to kindle the Menorah for a day, but it conveniently lasted a whole 8 days - just long enough to extract new and pure oil. The oil burning for one day, vs 8 days vs a whole year - it pales next to the fact that we should be offering thanks for the liberation of life itself. Furthermore, there is also the addition of a paragraph of thanksgiving in the Amida prayer and in the Grace After Meals. Leaving this answer at that, I wouldn't have anything to continue writing now. You feel its effects but you can't touch it .
Fire is definitely one of the most ethereal elements of the world.
I think that without spelling it out in detail, each of these concepts can be related back to Hannukah. Take the following pairs of quotes for example. I warmed both hands before the fire of life, It sinks and I am ready to depart.