Water

It is rather humbling to realize that each of us is about 60% water; Yet. That fact does not mean you are without substance. It does underscore the reality that water is essential for life. Per US Geological Survey, even your bones are 22% water;

Not all water is potable, as you likely know, for whenever there is a water-main break, Watershed Management notifies everyone within the affected area; boil water for consumption (and sometimes for personal care), use bottled water for drinking and cooking. Microbes and other contaminants find a comfortable home in water, sometimes posing lethal threats to living organisms.

The Ancient Mariner was condemned to sail the sea alone. Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote these immortal words—“Water-water everywhere, nor any drop to drink…” (The Rime of the Ancient Mariner). The essential need for, and the key role of water, does not mean that all water is consumable. That very predicament is writ large across the national news as I write this. A train derailment, spilt burning toxic contaminants into soil and water. The overarching concern seems to be how much and how long local wells and water supply will be affected.

On the other hand, we have come a long way clearing our streams and lakes of toxins as well as other contamination—there is still a long way to go, but steps are underway. Boating and swimming in, and camping beside rivers and streams are pleasant outdoor adventures; made possible and inviting through conservation efforts of leaders whose compelling visions are being realized.

Good, clean water is not a luxury; it is a necessity. We are learning from many past mistakes. I grew up on the Fall Line in middle Georgia. I remember two artesian wells in our community, one of which was on my greatgrand father’s farm. These wells were drilled, I was told, “…for the War Effort….” We called them “flowing wells.” For years they flowed freely—each from pipes a softball could roll through. Decades ago, in South Georgia near the Golden Isles Freeway, there were numbers of artesian wells; those too, flowed freely day and night. Most of those wells are now dry, or nearly so. The water table has dropped dramatically.

The Children of Israel, escaping cruel captivity in Egypt, found themselves in darkening circumstances in the wilderness—-due to the lack of water. It posed a crisis not unlike the one they had faced at the Reed Sea, being chased by Pharaoh’s legions. Moses convinced these pilgrims that God still cared for them as he appealed to God on their behalf. In the interesting dialogue between Jesus and his cousin John, it is made clear that river water be instrumental in commissioning Jesus into his earthly ministry.

In the Bible, water is inseparable from life; Both creation stories in the Book of Genesis (chapter 1 and chapter 2) begin with water, and its relationship to land and its inhabitants. For Christians the rite of Baptism, water is a metaphor for God’s blessing.

©Copyright Willis H. Moore 2023

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