Water is the most precious liquid available to humanity. With its known properties of supporting food and nutrition as well as energy generation, a day is impossible without water being utilised. Industries also need water for processes. However, there is a dimension of water that is often ignored – cultural and spiritual dimension of water.
Some religions place spiritual significance on water to the extent of believing that within water rests some powers immortal. Being at sea and at the ocean is also seen as a mechanism of harnessing tranquillity.
From ancient civilisations, water was also considered as having cleansing properties. Some religions consider water as a medium for baptism and cleansing evil spirits. Developing new ways of using water is a key tool that is needed for promoting sustainable development and at the same time respecting people’s preferences on water use is key to living in harmony.
Stress is believed to be relieved when one reaches the edge sea. In other cases, water is used to cleanse the dead as they journey to the immortal lands. Whether this turns out to be effective, one can never know. In some countries, worshipping water bodies is common. In this issue, we recognise all the dimensions of water and how society perceives it.
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