Lessons from Water

I’m not a beach person. To some of those closest to me, that is sacrilege. But there is a bit of redemption in that I love a lake, especially a lake located by a mountain. So, what is it about water? What is the connection between water, humanity and the world. Does it lie in the fact that approximately 50%-60% of the human form is water and about 70% of the world is water? It can’t be a coincidence.

Anyway, back to the connection. There is something to say about the fluidity of water and the fluidity (or lack of it) in our own lives. Water is constantly moving. It bends and flows and moves over and around. And, let’s face it, stagnant water, over time, becomes rancid. So, what would it look like if our own lives had this same fluidity?

And, let’s not forget that water is one of the softest elements and yet one of the strongest. A small trickle can turn into a canyon. A wave can transform into a tsunami. Single droplets of rain, non-stop, become a flood. Being both soft and powerful, water is telling us something about being human.

And then there is the fact that it is shapeless, and yet it takes on the form of any vessel it is poured into. It’s a chameleon, adapting to its environment. But it does not harbor any resentment. If the container is too small, it simply over flows, but some of it remains. If the container is too big, it does not worry about having too much room and feeling ‘small.’

And, finally, water does not give itself great import. It has no ego. Yet, it nourishes us. It sustains life. It allows us to play. And, it does what it does without thought. It simply is. Ah, if only we, humans, could simply be and allow our greatness to shine naturally, and simply go with the flow.