Water is in every living thing: My response after watching the film ‘Water is Love’ — Cuifen Pui
I was moved by the film ‘Water is Love: Ripples of Regeneration’, and decided to pen some of what I learned as a response to the film.
Water is in every living thing
Water is the base of every living organism. The average living human body is 60% water. Living plants and animals need adequate, quality water to thrive. Plants need 20% to 80% soil moisture. The compost heaps I care for week after week, the aerobic micro-organisms that thrive in them need about 50% moisture to thrive.
Water is at the base of healthy ecosystems. Water moves through the ecosystem. Think of mountains, forests, shrublands, gardens, and rivers.
The movement of water sustains life
The film included an animation of the water cycle. Plants receive and store water that falls. They release liquid exudates into the soil, influencing the rhizosphere, feeding the beneficial microorganisms, and inhibiting the less desired microorganisms.
In healthy ecosystems, the soil is alive, open, and fluffy. Rainwater percolates in the soil, and groundwater aquifers are refilled. Pure water returns to the Earth's surface as springs.
On a hot day, plants transpire water and this helps to cool the surrounding area. The transpired water feeds the clouds.
Even during periods with little rain, the water is good for soil life. When there is enough moisture, fungi and bacteria in soil ecosystems can live!
The world’s natural cycles are breaking down
Globally, our planet’s natural systems are breaking down. Immense damage or total loss of ecological ecosystems. Mass species extinctions. Extreme weather events are becoming more likely and more intense. Human communities are worried about losing their land and culture. Farmers realise the crops that did well may no longer thrive with the changing weather patterns. Bird populations flying to different locations in search of food.
It may be mind-boggling to think about why people and their organisations continue to do things as usual, as if life as we know it will continue even with the imminent collapse of Earth’s systems. “What if it is not from a lack of care?”, the film asked. The film suggested that people may be numbing themselves because there is a sense of being overwhelmed.
I paused the film to sit with the emotions that came up. Perhaps the film-makers knew that their audience may feel a mix of emotions. They added a little breathing exercise.
“Think of a land you love. Imagine how it can be affected by the various crises. Breathe in.”
“As you exhale, imagine love being breathed out to circulate the world.”
Our response to a crisis depends on how we understand it
The film pointed out that the climate crisis is not just about the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. That’s pointing at the symptom. The need to pivot from the continued degradation of ecosystems is often discussed in forums that are separate from those looking to solve the climate crises.
Another view the film brings is how the attempts to reduce atmospheric carbon levels through human-made technological solutions mirror a belief that the world is a machine. When you have a machine that is not working, you open it up and fix what is not working. That is the thinking process of an engineer, the film pointed out.
If we do choose to focus on only one aspect, the film-makers encourage us to focus on water. This is because living organisms to live or die, depending on the availability and abundance of high-quality water that allow them to live, grow, and thrive. By including water in our considerations, we can find ways to work with nature to enhance the health of ecosystems.
When ecosystems are taken care of, they function as healthy ecosystems do. Forests, oceans, coral reefs, and other ecosystems are carbon sinks. By taking care of ecosystems, we would be helping nature to return carbon to being part of the natural systems.
Earth is an ecosystem. Forests, oceans, and coral reefs are ecosystems nestled in a larger ecosystem. Even our human body is an ecosystem with smaller ecosystems thriving inside.
These ecosystems can be thought of as living organisms too. Living organisms are always in homeostasis, a self-regulating process where the organism adjusts to conditions that are best for life. When homeostasis is not successful, the organism dies.
What happens when the water cycle is broken?
The water cycle breaks when vegetation is clear cut, when rivers are drained, when animals are forced out of their habitat, when soil is polluted, when soil is exposed, when soil is sealed with non-breathable surfaces, and when cities and industries are built on them.
The crises that we are facing are human-made. Water, a vital aspect of life, has been mismanaged. If we want life to flourish, the water cycle must be restored.
Individuals care and want to make a difference
“There is no planet B. When Earth goes to shit, what can we do then? I don’t know what to do, that is why I am here,” said a young person in the film. He and many other young people gathered at Tamera, an intentional community space, to learn how they can make a difference.
“We end up treating Earth as if we don’t belong. We lose a sense of responsibility. I can see the problems; behind the numbness is a huge pain,” said another young participant.
Watching the film, I remembered how excited — and unsure— I was to be participating in a 2-week Youth Encounter for Sustainability program. That was back in 2008 (~16 years ago now!). There were ~30 participating young persons, and almost everyone travelled from a different part of the world.
We gathered in a resort to learn all about climate crisis — from the science, to meeting with people who are taking local action, to designing our own businesses and non-profits. What was equally important, if not more so, was spending time together as humans, and gaining a deeper understanding of the knowledge and experience we each bring to the table.
I felt that the young people interviewed by the film-makers were similarly experiencing a transformative program that would leave them with insights that can guide them as they move forward in life.
The structured and safe learning space provided in such programs, and the ‘thinking process’ support provided by the adults, would help overwhelmed young persons work through many questions, including, “Why am I here? What is my purpose?”
Starting with ourselves
“We need to start by looking at ourselves. See what we can do to start new systems by learning regenerative models. How could systems change look like in water, energy, food?”, said a young participant.
A participant said, “I want to be actively contributing to regeneration. We have done too much harm. I trust nature, but I doubt it is fast enough.”
Listening to her speak was comforting. I guide people to work with nature by composting, ecological gardening, or supporting the work of others who try their best in taking actions to shape a better world. When it comes to gardening, there are times I wondered what was the role of the human gardener. When is the human intervention too often and too much? When would nature truly appreciate some help, because humans have collectively caused much damage?
Earth Stewardship Projects
How do we know if a soil ecosystem is healthy? “Rainwater should never run,” said a person in the film. “(We have the) responsibility to create an environment that has zero runoff.”
For those of us living in cities, how do we even begin to do this? Find projects, in your area or elsewhere, that focus on stewarding and regenerating ecosystems. I have initiated projects in Singapore where I live, and I will write about them in other articles.
The film highlighted a few projects.
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Oteopic, Kenya
The person who was interviewed started a demonstration garden to show his neighbours how to grow in a small area. He wanted to show them that their area did not have a lack of water; there was only an imbalance of the system. Through the use of permaculture gardens, ponds, and swales, they were able to recharge the groundwater system. The problem was shared, the solution was found by people uniting to take action, and local women were empowered in the process.
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Tamera Healing Biotope
Over at Tamera Healing Biotope in Portugal, a person was interviewed as saying that most of Portugal was affected by drought. “Humans tend to hoard water for themselves, and this creates stress or other life.” What they focused on was helping the natural water cycle to stabilise. And how do they know if they are on the right track? “You feel the drive for actions that forward life”, and “You see the quality and abundance of high-quality water in the ecosystem’s green water”. ‘Green water’ is water held in the soil that is available to plants growing in the soil.
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Regeneration of 11 rivers, Rajasthan
A person in Rajasthan was interviewed. He started a project that led to the regeneration of 11 rivers. “People see the visual impact, and then they join. It’s a people’s movement.” The person said, “(I see) water and land as commons available to all beings.”
He added, “Seeing how a barren piece of land can transform helps spark something in ourselves to become more whole.”
Building a culture of care
The film called for building a culture of care. What if human communities live with a guiding principle of land stewardship so that the world’s ecosystems regenerate and provide a land of possibilities 7 generations from now?
Building a culture of care requires clear decision-making. Courage is needed to make these decisions. This courage will come from the individual’s deep love for life.
“You cannot tell someone to love more,” the film pointed out. “(But) you can create conditions in which love can bloom.”
Takeaway questions
The film closed with a few questions that I’d also leave you with:
- How do you relate to water?
- Where does the water you drink and use come from?
- What happens with the rain that falls on land you call ‘Home’?
- How would you be regenerating the land where you live?
This article was originally published at https://medium.com/@cpui8161.
About the Writer
Cuifen Pui (Instagram, LinkedIn)
Cuifen, a compost artisan and sustainable lifework coach, draws inspiration from climate action and regenerative ecosystems. With food as a lens, she empowers individuals to take simple actions that help shape a thriving world ecosystem. Cuifen co-creates Food Citizen, an educational venture that helps city-based individuals transition to more intentional and regenerative ways of living. She also co-leads two passion experiments: Project Black Gold and Boon Lay Nature Garden.
