A Glass of Water
A
glass of water–what is it? Really, what is it? It’s a glass of water, of
course; and, if you’re thirsty, you might drink it. You might, but would you?
Just maybe, you might decide not to drink it. You might decide not to drink it
because of what is in it. What’s my point? Just the other day I was having
lunch with a friend, and we were discussing the subject of cisterns. Some of
you may not even remember what a cistern is. I think of a cistern as a large
hole in the ground, usually lined with flat rocks and covered by a wood deck
with an access door on top, used to store rainwater collected from the roof of
a house or building. As a young child, I lived on a hillside farm in West
Virginia where we used a cistern as our water supply. We lived on top of the
hill so a well was not an economic option at the time. We used the water for
all things for which one uses water, i.e. drinking, cooking, laundry, bathing,
etc. Today, that’s a no no. At least one shouldn't. Today, our rain is
polluted. What’s in your glass of water?
OK!
I’ll get to the point. Anything, even a glass of water, is only worth the
quality of its content. Isn't a nation, really, like that? Isn't our country
like that? Would you say a nation is only as good as the quality of its people?
Winston Churchill is said to have once said “A Democracy is the worst form of
government there is, but I know none better”. Isn't a democracy only as good as
its people–just as a glass of water is only as good as its purity? If, in a
democracy, its people are apathetic, don’t keep up with what is going on and lack
knowledge, don’t participate in government, and leave the course of events to
others, doing only what they like and what makes them feel good, do you think
that democracy can really last?
What happened to
the cisterns?
Ronald Miller
mtss86@bellsouth.net
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