Our relationship to the water which composes two-thirds of our bodies, and covers two-thirds of our planet’s surface, is multifaceted and complex. Water is vital to life; human beings can survive several weeks without food, but only several days without water. All humans begin life in the fluids of the amniotic sac, and our species seems to have originated in the fluids of the primordial soup. Water resonates culturally as a symbol of fertility, rejuvenation, and healing, as in the imagery of the fountain of youth and the miraculous powers of springs. The Greeks posited water as one of the four crucial elements (along with earth, air, and fire). The rituals of many religious traditions highlight the power of water for purification through ablutions.
Yet, at the same time, humans are well aware of the dangers of immersion in water, through death by drowning, and their vulnerability to being afflicted with the ravages of floods or tsunamis. Water is linked to death in the Greek myth of...
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Wellington, A. (2011). Water. In: Chatterjee, D.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Justice. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9160-5_702
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