For most of human existence, fresh drinking water did not come out of a faucet. It flowed in streams and rivers, collected in lakes and ponds, or resided as groundwater in aquifers. People had a direct connection to water at its source and saw how water was vital to the web of life.
From ancient times, water was regarded as sacred, connected to a spiritual force and thus treated with reverence. Earliest civilizations emerged near rivers: ancient Egypt was built along the Nile River; ancient China along the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers; the Indus Valley civilization evolved alongside the Indus River; and between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers emerged a cradle of civilization, Mesopotamia, approximately 6,000 years ago.
Globally, hundreds of deities were believed to inhabit bodies of water, reinforcing the idea that those waters were imbued with spiritual power. Ancient Mesopotamians called their underground fresh water aquifer Abzu, a primordial male deity. Abzu’s counterpart was Tiamat, goddess of the salt water ocean. They joined forces to derive other deities.
The Judeo-Christian Bible mentions water in Genesis: “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Scholars have noted that water is referenced more than 700 times in the Bible, sometimes referring to God Himself, as in the verse: “Let anyone who is thirsty, come to me and drink.”
Water continues to be used for blessings, rites of baptism and other rituals in today’s religions. In Shinto, Japan’s native religion, water signifies purification. Visitors to a Shinto shrine are expected to ritually cleanse themselves at a hand-washing basin before crossing over to the shrine’s sacred grounds.
When communities of people regard water as sacred — not a ceremonial accessory but genuinely divine — they regard it as a spiritual gift, one that has immeasurable value. It must be cared for as something precious. In the modern world, that has too often not been the case. Water has been polluted, wasted and disrespected.
Mistreated water can be destructive. Ask the people of Minamata, Japan, where industrial pollution dumped in Minamata Bay resulted in devastating birth defects from poisoned fisheries, or the children of Flint, Mich., where elevated lead levels from corroded metal pipes exposed them to dangerous contaminants. Climate change has accelerated massive floods or — at the opposite extreme — resulted in megadrought conditions. The Earth’s natural water cycle is grossly out of balance.
The fuel contamination of the Red Hill drinking water well reminds us of how fragile our reserve of fresh drinking water is. Honolulu Board of Water Supply Chief Engineer Ernie Lau and other water protectors stood up for safe and ethical water management and did not back down. They inspired others to evaluate their own relationship with water. The emptying of the Red Hill fuel tanks cannot be the endgame, however. There are other threats to water safety.
Religious institutions should set aside doctrinal differences and join forces to raise public awareness about water safety and conservation. Ordinary citizens should transcend their ideological divisions and stand together to safeguard water. Indigenous groups deserve our thanks and support for standing up to powerful forces that have tried to colonize water rights.
Protecting water is this generation’s gift to the next. Reestablishing our ancient sacred relationship with water is critical to the survival of the planet at a time when the politics of the day might suggest that nothing is sacred anymore.
The overall health of the planet, with its arteries of clean water sustaining life everywhere, begins with this spiritual reawakening.
Kevin Y. Kawamoto, Ph.D., is a gerontological social work educator. This essay is condensed from a keynote speech he delivered at a Journeys to Wellness event, sponsored by the Sunrise Foundation.
