Water, the Elixir of Life
“Water is the driving force of all nature.”
Leonardo da Vinci.
This past Tuesday was World Water Day, a day that has been set aside to help us all realize the importance of this life giving force and how scarce it is becoming to our growing population around the world. First proposed by the UN in 1992 and first observrd a year later in 1993, World Water Day is observed on March 22nd. The UN and its member nations devote this day to implementing UN recommendations and promoting activities regarding the world's water resources and sustainability. As our world population continues to grow and clean drinking water continues to be a growing concern, a number of nongovernmental organizations who promote clean water and sustainable aquatic habitats are using World Water Day as a time to focus global attention on this critical issue of our era.
How convenient is it for those of us who live in this region of the world to just get up and get a drink when we are thirsty. We may have to walk ALL the way to the kitchen or to the bathroom in order to slacken our thirst. But there are those who are not so fortunate. According to the UN, “… some kids must walk an average distance of 6 km per day to get drinking water.” Could you imagine if you had to go that far just to get a drink of water? Closer to home I think of the poor people who live in the Flint, Michigan area. Due to no fault of their own, the populous of this once industrious community has been drinking poisoned water for the better part of two years. To the credit of humanity, government organizations, private organizations as well as non-profits have all mobilized in order to provide millions of bottles of drinking water so that the people will not perish. But how often has this scenario played out all over the world falling on deaf ears? How many children and elderly have perished for want of fresh drinking water? The UN is trying to raise the awareness of the shortage of this critical element of life.
Just how important is water? Even though our planet is made up of just over 70% of water, only about 2.5 % is fresh water and only 1% of all fresh water is easily accessible. Considering that our bodies are about 60% water, we need plenty of it each and every day to help us sustain good health. Things that we, as American, take so much for granted, others around the world struggle for. As our global population continues to rise, so shall the requirement of our most basic needs. As technologies help humanity overcome their dependency on the limited resources of fossil fuels, there is no substitute for the natural resources like clean water. At some point, water will be worth more to all of mankind than oil.
There are a whole host of organizations out there that can give information about the looming water crisis and what steps you can do to help bring about positive change. I encourage you take time to investigate these different organizations and learn more about the power of water and what effect it can have onsomeone’s life. Go to http://www.waterday.org/ and check it out.
I hope that everyone has a terrific Easter weekend as families gather together in one form or another. Take time to think how often and how much water you use in a single day and remember those who struggle to find safe water let alone use it. As always, thanks for taking time to read and I hope you are motivated to share these articles with your friends, you never know who you might touch and who might make a difference in someone’s life. Take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
wmreid@bhcshealth.com