October 16, 2009
The Second Half
Good to the last drop
BY DEACON JIM AND ANN CAVERA
In the sixth century B.C., an eyewitness to the destruction of Jerusalem wrote, “We must pay for the water we drink . . . . ” (Lamentations 5:4 NRSV). One day last week we were without water for several hours while workers repaired a break in the water main on our street. The ancient writer’s words reminded us that there really is nothing new under the sun. Water is as necessary for life now as it was 2,600 years ago. Our grandsons were with us that day and so being without water proved to be doubly inconvenient. After lunch I automatically turned on the faucet to rinse their sticky little hands and found no water. Dishes couldn’t be rinsed and even the high chair trays had to stay dirty. All day long, without thinking, I kept turning on dry faucets because clean running water is something I take for granted. After a few hours, I would have paid almost any price to have our water restored.
A couple of days later we watched a DVD one of us had checked out from the library: “Blue Gold — World Water Wars” is an excellent documentary that details the fragility of the earth’s water supply. It was named the best environmental film at the 2008 International Film Festival in Vancouver. Anyone who sees “Blue Gold” will think twice before they pick up one of those little plastic bottles filled with water. We are so used to having easy access to clean water we forget how many people live with polluted water and the diseases that accompany pollution.
In addition to conveying a perspective of how interconnected life is, “Blue Gold” also highlights the efforts of many individuals who are making a difference. In 1998 Canadian Ryan Herljac was in first grade when his teacher told the class that people were dying because they didn’t have clean water. Ryan went home determined to build a well so that people would no longer die from drinking polluted water. His parents encouraged him to earn the money to build one clean well in an African village. Ryan built his first well in 1999. To date, the foundation that resulted from his ongoing effort has completed 518 water and sanitation projects in 16 countries. “Blue Gold” also encourages each of us to make small changes in our habits. We can turn off the water while we brush our teeth or shave. Using refillable bottles when we need portable water keeps plastic out of landfills and uses local water supplies.
We are living in a time when many people already have difficulty finding water to drink, not to mention washing their children’s sticky fingers. In 1987 Pope John Paul II wrote, “. . . natural resources are limited; some are not, as it is said, renewable. Using them as if they were inexhaustible, with absolute dominion, seriously endangers their availability not only for the present generation but above all for generations to come. On Social Concern #34
This past weekend we talked with our son Jim about the rocket our country exploded in a moon crater last week to determine how much water may be on the moon. He said preliminary data seem to indicate there may be more water beneath the moon’s surface than we had guessed. We thought that was interesting and will be good for people who decide to live on the moon. Meanwhile, what will our grandchildren drink?
Deacon Jim and Ann Cavera are former residents of Evansville; their award-winning column is a regular feature of the Message. Contact them at www.catholicseniorspirit.com.