Water is all around us, everywhere we look. It is the most essential element for life; it is found in everything and necessary for everything. Thales once took the stance that water is the most essential element. While his argument may not be one hundred percent valid today, he still made important points. This writer will try to argue for the element of water too.
Water is extremely dynamic. It can exist in three forms; solid, liquid and vapor. None of the other elements come in different forms. It is also the most powerful of the elements. While it may cause destruction and devastation but it also creates and fosters life on earth. Our planet depends on it; Earth itself is made up of approximately seventy percent water. Scientists has proven that some of the oldest species of animals came from the seas. Even Genesis 1:20 (NIV) says that “aˆ¦God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life.” The verse continues on to say “aˆ¦Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” That was the fifth day of creation, then on the sixth day God said “aˆ¦Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind- livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” (Genesis 1:24, NIV). God made animals for the water first, then the air, followed by the earth. One could argue that even God Himself knew just how extremely important water was.
If you were to look at a map of where early civilizations were built, you would see that most (if not) all of them were built around rivers or major bodies of water. The water was a place to drink from and to eat from. It would be used as a mode of transportation to get to other human settlements. Water literally was the lifeblood of early civilization. With out it, humanity would not have flourished the way that it has. Many people today still rely on water as their mode of transportation. If major rivers around the world (I.e. The Yangtze, The Nile, The Amazon) were to dry up or cease to exist millions of people would not be able to trade, have access to water to
irrigate crops or even to drink. The human body itself could not even exist without water. We are made of approximately sixty percent water, our brain alone being over seventy percent.
Air is necessary for life, but water is more necessary. Even the air needs water. The
reason that God made trees was to so that they could produce oxygen for humans and animals to breathe. Trees need water to live and therefore need water to produce air. All people and animals need the air that trees create to survive. If we did not have water, we would not be able to breathe.
Air has water vapor, or moisture in it. Have you ever taken a breath of dry air? If you have ever ridden on a Greyhound or any kind of tour bus you would have. The air on these busses is very dry and it makes breathing somewhat difficult. It is reasonable to believe then that moisture in the air is necessary for breathing. If there was no moisture at all in the air, humans either could not breathe at all or would have an extremely difficult time breathing.
It is true that God created earth first but it (or nature) would cease to exist if not for water. Trees and all living plants and animals need water to survive. Without the water, they would all shrivel up and die. Plants simply cannot exist with out water. Water is a constantly moving element. When there are thousands of gallons of water compounded on top of each other, it becomes heavy and can do a lot of damage to the earth. Flowing water can erode and move earth. Have you ever witnessed a flash flood or have you seen a video of one? The raging water rushes over the earth, moving and displacing everything that gets in its way. Trees, dirt and rocks stand no chance against the immense power of water. The glaciers too of ancient ice ages would carve mountain ranges, move huge boulders and leave scars across the earth. They certainly did not move as quickly as their liquid counterpart, but they could do just as much, if not more
damage. Air cannot displace earth the way that water can and earth cannot displace itself either.
Humans and all animals need to drink water to survive. The usual standard is that humans can only go with out water for three days. During those three days the effects of dehydration
ravage the body. They include (but are not limited to) nausea, hallucinating, and fatigue. After approximately three days, a human would die. That rate could even be sped up depending on the climate the person is in. It is a painful and agonizing death. Similarly, the accepted standard for the human ability to go without food is thirty days. All food at some point came from the earth; it is then a byproduct of the earth. If a human can only go three days without water but can go for thirty days without food, clearly the water is the more important than the food.
Water is more essential than fire due to several reasons. The most obvious reason being that when a fire is built, most people would put it out with water. If you did not put it out with water, the fire would eventually put itself out if it ran out of fuel, but water is the quickest and most efficient way to extinguish it. With the exception of a grease fire, water puts out all fires. Water cannot catch on fire; it is impossible. There can be oil on top of the water that would catch fire, but the water itself would never.
Secondly, fire cannot exist on its own. It must be constantly fed and if it is not it will go out. It needs some kind of fuel, no matter if it is a human made fire or a natural forest fire. It cannot exist with out assistance. Water on the other hand, can exist on its own. It does not need fuel or anything to exist; it simply is. It changes seamlessly from form to form needing only a temperature change. If there is no temperature change then it just stays contently in its current form.
As you can see, water is clearly the cardinal of all the elements. Without it life would not have flourished in early civilizations nor would it continue to flourish today. Likewise, the human body and all of nature would collapse with out it. What would you not be able to do if you did not have access to water everyday?