The mystery of water

This pure, colorless liquid, this strange substance that makes things grow. That all living things must have.

Water is a great mystery.

We all know water is H₂O. Two atoms of hydrogen, one of oxygen. How simple can you get? Yet no one has made water in a practical way, in great quantity. Why not? Hydrogen is readily available, and so is oxygen. Chemists, why haven’t you put two and one together? What’s the holdup?

Another mystery. Where did water come from? Scientists aren’t sure. When the earth first came into existence, it was incredibly hot. Too hot for water. So, when things cooled down, obviously there was no water. How did it get here? Scientists have theories, but no one can say, definitively, “This is how water came to be on Earth.” Today, many posit that asteroids, packed with ice, crashed into earth, thus delivering water to our planet. (Check out this piece from Carnegie Science that elaborates on that.) But there is no actual proof. You could say that water is a gift from an anonymous donor. A spectacular gift.

In a way, it would be easier to believe the Bible. In the Bible, water is just there from the start: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 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.”

Ta-da!

Nevertheless, as we know, water came to be. And, as we all know, there’s a lot of it. Most scientists agree that life, whether it began on land or in the sea, required water for its genesis. Space scientists—is that the term?—get all excited when they discover water on another planet. “That means there is the possibility of life!” they declare.

Let’s further the mystery: “Water is vital for all known forms of life, despite not providing food, energy or organic micronutrients.” (Source: Wiki.) What does it provide? It seems we need water for almost everything we do. “Water is fundamental to photosynthesis and respiration.” Not to mention for growing things, however that works.

Water is the ultimate shape shifter. It exists, as we know, in three forms, solid, liquid and gas. It can boil, freeze, evaporate, melt. We experience water as ice, snow, fog, rain, steam, hail, dew, frost. It makes up rivers, lakes, oceans, bays, lagoon, brooks, waterfalls. And more. It comes from the sky and from beneath the earth. What have I left out? Do you know anything on earth as mutable, each form with such distinct properties?

Like all of us, I have had exhilarating experiences with water. Some subtle, like a damp cloth being placed on my feverish brow. Some rousing, like plunging into the turquoise ocean on a hot day. Some awe-inspiring, like early-morning fog on a field. Some restful, like rain falling while I’m sitting on a porch listening. Some enlivening, like skating on a wide frozen pond in winter. Some so satisfying, like watering my garden in the early morning. Some sensual, like taking an outdoor shower in summer, water pouring over my bare body, feeling part of everything. So many more.

All of us have the picture in our minds of water being poured over hands as part of a ritual. Water, again, as we know, is sacred to many peoples.

It would take at least one post on its own—probably many more—to write about water’s religious and cultural significance. Water purifies. It brings renewal and promise. For me, water in the form of rain has always provided a sense of cleansing. The earth feels cleaner after a rain, as if it’s been given a second chance.

There will never be enough words about water.