"Water: The Alpha and Omega"
Julia Earl
Sunday, October 2nd 2005

Thank you

I’m honored to be here today to share some of my thoughts with you regarding water and spirituality.

More on personal background if necessary:
To help contextualize my comments, I thought it would be helpful for you to know a bit more about my background. I bring the perspectives of a former Peace Corps volunteer having worked in a developing country for several years; as a children’s environmental education camp counselor, as a mother and currently as the coordinator of Preventing Harm MN – a coalition dedicated to improving children’s health and well-being by reducing their exposure to toxins. All of these varied positions have had water at their center be it water scarcity and availability; potable or drinking water quality, water for recreation and wildlife habitat, water for hydration and water as a life source for human beings particularly children.

Angels and Demons book by Dan Brown
I’m currently reading a novel called Angels and Demons by Dan Brown – the same person who wrote The DaVinci Code. One of the main themes of the book is the central question of the compatibility of science and religion. One of the book’s characters represents the idea that somehow if we accept scientific explanations for the creation of the earth we don’t or can’t believe in God. I disagree with that perspective. Instead, I personally agree with one of the other main character’s perspectives, which is that we can accept science and the presence of God. The two are compatible and even complementary. For example, when looking at a sea of stars in the night sky based on what we know from science, we see solar flares, gas clouds, meteoroids and even unfortunately, satellites.

Who can look at the immense beauty of a star-filled sky and not feel a greater divine presence, the presence of God.

So in today’s talk I’m going to talk about water from both scientific and spiritual perspectives.

Why Alpha and Omega?
You may wonder why I chose Water: the Alpha and Omega as the title of my presentation today. I chose that title for a number of reasons. The first is for its obvious connection to Christianity and how we view Jesus – as the alpha and the omega. Secondly, when I think about the life of Jesus as we know it from scripture, water is an important element in many New Testament stories from John the Baptist to the last supper and washing of the feet. Thirdly, water is an important element in Catholic sacraments such as baptism and communion – as well as in other world religions. Last, I chose water as the alpha and the omega because water does represent the beginning and the end and the beginning again of so many life cycles on earth including our own as human beings.

Contemporary Reading and Main Points
I chose the readings that I did because I think they beautifully and succinctly capture some important points about water from spiritual and scientific perspectives.

Some of the key points include the following:

1. First, Water is beautiful-
   • Imagine the beauty of Dew drops on flower petals or a spider’s web. There’s nothing like it in the world
   • We treasure lakes, rivers, streams particularly here in MN for their beauty, recreation, and the peace and serenity they offer
   • We treasure water so much, we even have miniature water fountains in our homes and offices because we find its sound and appearance so soothing and pretty
2. Second, Water is the source of life- We all know that water is essential for plants to grow and animals to live including human beings. I know many of you worked hard all summer long watering tomato and zucchini plants so they may be enjoyed this time of year. You did it because you recognize the importance of water in keeping them alive.
3. Third, Water is key in our bodies- As the quote from former Vice-President Gore indicates, water composes 71% of our bodies! If we don’t drink adequate amounts of water we may suffer from dehydration and even die. Despite the alarmingly high rate of HIV-AIDS infection in Africa, the number one killer of children is dehydration. 
4. A Fourth Point brought out in today’s readings is how the Hydrologic cycle functions- Some of you might remember parts of your elementary school science classes on the hydrologic or water cycle. Essentially, all parts of water in the environment are connected from rainwater to ground water to surface water. If a contaminant enters one part of the water cycle, eventually, it will permeate the entire system.

Sandra Steingraber- amniotic fluid – baby pee – interconnectedness of nature
There’s a wonderful book entitled Having Faith. It’s written by an ecologist, writer and mother Dr.Sandra Steingraber. In the book she describes her journey to motherhood from the perspective of an ecologist and cancer survivor. She actually did her PhD fieldwork in MN and married her husband here. Dr. Steingraber much more poetically describes the interconnectedness of nature and human life than I am able.

At one point in her book, Sandra reflects on amniotic fluid – the protective water that surrounds a developing baby. Her obstetrician tells her it’s “baby pee.” Here’s an extract from her book . . .

Before it is baby pee, amniotic fluid is water. I drink water, and it becomes blood plasma, which suffuses through the amniotic sac and surrounds the baby – who also drinks it.

And what is it before that? Before it is drinking water, amniotic fluid is the creeks and rivers that fill reservoirs. It is the underground water that fills wells. And before it is creeks and rivers and groundwater, amniotic fluid is rain. When I hold in my hands a tube of my own amniotic fluid, I am holding a tube full of raindrops. Amniotic fluid is also the juice of oranges that I had for breakfast, and the milk that I poured over my cereal, and the honey I stirred into my tea. It is inside the green cells of spinach leaves and the damp flesh of apples. It is the yolk of an egg. When I look at amniotic fluid, I am looking at rain falling on orange groves. I am looking at melon fields, potatoes in wet earth, frost on pasture grasses. The blood of cows and chickens is in this tube. The nectar gathered by bees and hummingbirds is in this tube. Whatever is inside hummingbird eggs is also inside my womb. Whatever is in the world’s water is here in my hands.

Of the over 80,000 chemicals registered with the EPA in the United States, less than 10 percent have been tested for human health safety and even fewer for infants and children who are the most vulnerable members of our society. Product registration means the product does what it claims to do such as making our laundry whiter, cleaning mold in the shower or killing ants in the kitchen. Just to reiterate, it does not mean that it’s been tested for human health safety. Coupled with that, most wastewater treatment facilities remove the major bacterial offenders from the water so we won’t get sick from things like e-coli. However, they don’t remove things like insect repellent, caffeine, pharmaceuticals and cleaning products. So, what we put down our drains may end up in someone else’s drinking water glass – and their bodies – their children – and even their babies. And, it may be harmful to them.

Conclusion
I think it’s fair to say we are all familiar with the Golden Rule, Love thy Neighbor as thyself. Protecting our water, the fluid that provides life and connects us all is one more way of doing that.

My plea to you today is to take care of water for the scientific reasons we fully understand such as how the hydrologic cycle and wastewater treatment plants function.

Also however, value water and keep it clean – for its inherent beauty, for its spiritual connection, for its mystery and for moral reasons.

Do it for your own health and for the neighbor you may never meet who lives downstream – in Winona, Memphis, New Orleans and beyond.

Water Conference
I’ll be one of the participants at next week’s water conference on Saturday, October 8th here at St. Joan of Arc. If you’d like to learn more about the connections I described today and the perspectives of other concerned citizens working to protect water, please attend.

Thank you.