Blog #24: Thank you, Water
Water is the source of all life. Plain and simple.
When I was a young girl, I used to think that water was the medicine to cure all of our discomforts and illnesses. I can recall multiple instances playing with my cousins when someone got hurt, and my first instinct was to say with motherly charisma: “We need to get this kid some water!” because I was so sure it would remedy the situation. When I got sick with a cold, my parents would make me drink as much water as I could to “flush out” the bad stuff. And when I was feeling tired and lightheaded from running around all day in the sun, I would come home to make the tallest glass of cold water, tip my entire face into the glass, and switch off from gulping down and breathing heavily from my nose until it was finished. From a young age, I understood that water is something we need, all the time.
It’s an important reminder that our bodies are literally made up of 60% water. Three whole days is the short length of time that we can survive without it. And water moves through us intentionally all the time. When we “relieve” ourselves, we have absorbed all the life-giving parts of water and are leaving all the toxic and unnecessary stuff behind. Even our emotions can be strong enough to move the waters within us to produce tears; a cathartic and sometimes healing experience. Water is everywhere and in everything.
Now when I consider water, I feel the weight of its importance every time I shower, brush my teeth, wash my hands, flush the toilet, clean my dishes, do my laundry, etc… We have learned to do these actions so robotically that we rarely ever stop to think about where the water is coming from and what we would do if it wasn’t flowing in all the places we need it.
There are many different uses and forms of water, but the most relevant to our daily lives is undoubtedly fresh water — of which less than 1% is available to us on Earth. Access to safe, affordable and clean water is a basic human right, yet one million California residents still do not have access to a reliable source of water for drinking and sanitation. Indigenous peoples across the nation are especially fighting for access to safe drinking water, since much of it was stolen from them along with the land that was taken during colonization. In fact, the corporate supergiant Nestlé (one of the largest plastic water bottle sellers in the world) steals water from Indigenous reserves. What should be considered a crime is a regular occurrence to provide convenience for people elsewhere. This is a violation of basic human rights and needs to stop.
As the climate crisis intensifies, access to water will become an even greater social justice issue. I think most people know that California has been in a decades-long drought, which has only been exacerbated by human-caused climate change. When we pump emissions into the air, we warm the atmosphere and alter the climate. More dry and hot days combined with minimal to no rain means less snow on the mountaintops — our most reliable source of freshwater throughout the year. Our snowpack has been dwindling due to rising temperatures, which has resulted in less and less clean water to fill our reservoirs. Overburdened communities will be subject to the compounding economic, social and environmental injustices of water access and climate change, as rich people gradually increase the price of basic necessities and hoard scarce resources for themselves.
It’s clear that water, a basic human right, has become a privilege that must be fought for. This injustice originates from a place of disrespecting, misusing and hoarding the gifts from Mother Earth. Think of the water bottle companies stealing from tribes to make their bottom line, perfectly green golf courses and ginormous lawns for rich people to enjoy across the state, fields of unnecessary water intensive crops like almonds and alfalfa, or the millions of tons of untouched food that are grown and thrown away every year. Egregious amounts of water are being fed to the ground and misused, when it could instead be nourishing people and the natural land.
My heart grows heavy thinking about the lack of water where it’s needed most, so I try to envision a better society where precious resources are equitably distributed and regarded for their true value. A society where water is carefully managed, available to all, and used in the most productive ways. A society where people respect the abundant gifts from Mother Earth and understand that our lives quite literally depend on this dwindling supply of liquid gold.
I ask that next time you make yourself a glass of water, consider pouring it up in honor of Mother Earth and express gratitude for the unsung hero that is clean, flowing water. Consider how you might be able to scale back your water usage during this ongoing drought by checking out these tips or researching your own. And remember that access to fresh water is a privilege, as much as it is a right.
Stay hydrated loves <3
