The Element of Life.

Water the element of Life.

From our beginning it surrounds us.

Cushioning our fragile flesh as we dream of being.

Rocking us gently in the womb, our tiny universe.

The damn breaks and we are thrust into a world of brilliant thirst.

We always seek that illusive, oceanic dream of creation.

Drink, bathe, swim, shower and dive.

Water calls to us.

We waste it, horde it, pollute it, share it, fight over it, cherish it and protect it.

Without it, Life ceases.

Patricia Bowne

2009

It's a precious thing. This simple mix of Hydrogen and Oxygen molecules.  

The water we drink today is the same water the dinosaurs drank—there is no new water.

Nearly 450 million people in 29 countries currently face severe water shortages.

• 20 percent more water than is now available will be needed to feed the additional three billion people who will be alive by 2025.
• As much as two-thirds of the world population could be water-stressed by 2025.
• Aquifers, which supply one-third of the world's population, are being pumped out faster than nature can replenish them.
• Half the world's rivers and lakes are seriously polluted.
• Major rivers, such as the Yangtze, Ganges, and Colorado, do not flow to the sea for much of the year because of upstream withdrawals.
  
  http://water.org/learn-about-the-water-crisis/facts/
  

Crisis- noun

a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, esp. for better or for worse, is determined; turning point.

  

We have to make it for better.

We have to stop treating the water like a never ending, self cleaning resource. We need to stop expanding. 

"Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of a cancer cell."

http://www.worldometers.info/water/ 

Stop funking up my home!

We're not the only ones on this planet. Fish, turtles, otters, frogs, beavers, alligators.. They live in water.

Alright, the water is polluted. How about just having access to any water?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2943946.stm

Doing research for this blog and keeping up with world events in general has opened my eyes to most of this information.  In the future, wars will be fought over water. Oil is NOT necessary for life. Water is.

http://blueplanetnetwork.org/water/facts

We take it for granted. We turn on the tap and get drinkable water. Oh, it might taste funky, but we won't die if dysentery after drinking it. 

http://www.irinnews.org/IndepthMain.aspx?IndepthId=13&ReportId=62312

  Let's keep water clean and available. We all need it. Don't waste it!

Idiocracy

It's been on my mind a while, but now I see I'm not the only one.
Have you noticed how stupid the kids are these days?

                                     

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20100928/LIFESTYLE/9280310/Are-we-raising-a-generation-of-nincompoops-


Even if your kid is a straight "A" student. Ask yourself. "Would they be able to survive if all the adults disappeared?"
What if technology broke down and they couldn't use their "smart" phone?
They are so used to having things done for them. Their laundry, food prep, basic chores and daily living activities.  Technology has taken away the chore of solving problems and using your imagination. 
I believe that we need to teach children simple, critical thinking skills.  It's a must for our survival as a species.  We came all this way from banging rocks together to smashing tiny buttons. 
We had to think to survive. Now, we order out, flip a switch, call a repair person and Google our questions. Between posting our every thought and action online.  Who leads that exciting of a life!? If you did, would you really want to stop to tweet about it? Update your facebook status?  Almost everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame and they don't care how they get it. 

http://www.king5.com/health/childrens-healthlink/Dangerous-online-stunts-sending-more-kids-to-emergency-rooms-103086969.html 

I fear for the future of my species. I'm afraid we're going to dumb ourselves into extinction. 
The kids don't care about History, Math or Science.  They are in the  "Right Now!"  There is no patience. Food, information and communication is instant. 
My son told me today that a Freshman girl didn't know about 9/11.
WTF!?  She said it didn't concern her. 
What happened to current events?  Am I that old?  I had a weekly assignment to read the news and write about something important and current.

                                          
There is something I came across, researching for this blog. 

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90782/7112408.html

Scary stuff. I have a cousin who married a brilliant, Chinese researcher. She can't cook, do laundry, interact socially, or take care of her own child!
But in her field, she's great. Just no life skills. 


Then, there are the marginalized. The poor, have nots of the world that don't seem to fit into any, world leader's plan.  Oh, they make for good publicity when funds need to be raised or votes secured.
They get what the rulers decide they deserve.


http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/03/poordevelopment/

I've said it before and I'll say it again. 
We all do better, when we all do better.

Lets start with our kids. Lets make them more than pop star wannabes. 
http://www.essortment.com/all/childraisingad_rcnj.htm 

Simple, practical and should be common sense.