Water - A Paradox of Nature
It is the strangest and most captivating substance known to mankind. It appears as a clear, seemingly invisible liquid, but when you observe it carefully, you will notice that it has a soft shimmer, as if it holds the mysteries of the entire Universe within itself. It is simple in nature – literally just two hydrogen atoms bonded to an oxygen atom – and yet it is perplexingly complex. It has no colour, and yet it reflects the hues of the sky, of the earth, and of the beings around it. It is smooth at the surface and still as the earth beneath it, and yet as you attempt to hold it, your hand passes through it, and its smooth surface shatters into countless ripples. It can be freezing cold to the touch, and yet it can also boil away your very skin.
It is elusive, with a mind of its own. It never rests till it has engulfed every inch of the surface around it, spreading and changing directions when encountering obstacles like it can sense its environment. It clings to the planet with all its might, wrapping itself around it and slithering across its surface in rivers like a snake. It forms unfathomably deep oceans, vast lakes that stretch beyond the horizon, and rivers that flow forever, and yet it falls from the clouds in hordes of minuscule droplets.
It rests in ponds, puddles and lakes for ages, and nothing can interrupt its peaceful slumber. And yet, it holds power beyond human comprehension. In an instant, it can rage. And when it rages, it does not hold back. Its torrents surge through valleys, and its waves swallow entire cities. It does not hold back – it takes what it wants, and it kills without hesitation, drowning everything in its path with the same indifference as a breeze. Its wrath is terrifying: the Earth itself trembles when it rages.
It kills life, and yet, life cannot exist without it. Every being – from the most microscopic bacterium to the most colossal of conifers – needs it to live. Human or animal; man or woman; rich or poor – it does not discriminate: it sustains their lives with equal compassion, and takes it with equal indifference. A thirsty body will perish without it, and yet a single misstep, even a breath too shallow, can be your last one. They say that life was born in it, and they say that life will go with it.
It is the strangest and most captivating substance known to mankind. It is simple in nature, and yet it is perplexingly complex: it freezes but also boils; it can be deep but also shallow; it can be calm, but it can rage; it takes life, but it also sustains it. It is the strangest and most captivating substance known to mankind – a paradox of nature.
