물의 다양한 삶

Thank you for this reminder. Water is not only necessary for all living creatures to survive. It is also, together with air, our most common link. I especially am awed by the intentional communal decision of the Cochiti and Kiowa tribes/clans to settle in places where water is scarce. It is indeed a wonderful way of always remembering how precious water is. Peoples in the industrialized and modern countries tend to take water for granted. We simply turn the faucet and out comes potable water. Many even have the luxury of choosing hot or cold water. Every time I wash my hands or brush my teeth, I think to myself how fortunate I am to have water in abundance. I can still remember how it was to have water service interruptions in Manila. We had to get water from an artesian well of one of our neighbors or from water tank trucks rationed by the government. Unlike the Cochitis and Kiowas, I have always gravitated to locations where water is abundant. Los Baños (the baths, there are lots of cold and hot springs in this area), Laguna in the Philippines, for example was the main reason for me choosing the university where I studied; not the course. I also stayed a long time at the foot of Mt. Banahaw near to San Pablo City, the city of seven lakes. Now I am in Vulkaneifel, Germany, known for its many maars (volcanic fresh water lakes) and fresh spring waters. I find it an abomination for anybody to claim ownership of this precious life-sustaining gift of nature. It has always been there way long before any of us were born. Just like the air we breath and the land where we live on. Water, air and all other natural resources are gifts of mother nature for everybody. These are our connections and links with each other. No one should make a commercial commodity out of these elements. We should all learn to respect and value water and air; without which we are all doomed. [Hide Full Comment]