Being in the presence of water calms the human soul. It’s just true. The Beach, The River, The Waterfall, even the The Lake. Sitting next to them is calming. Hence catch-and-release fishing. Thus, sunbathing. Therefore, reading a trashy novel on the seaside sand.
About twenty years ago or so, the national mood inspired more drinking water. OK, it was probably a giant ad campaign to get people to buy bottled water (You know that substance that covers 2/3 of the planet that we pay for in gas stations.), but even so, it worked. People carry water bottles to the urban high-rise office building like they were working at an oil well in the middle of the Iraqi desert. Canteens used to be reserved for lengthy treks through nature. Now they’re a semi-standard part of American high school.
Health-wise, that’s probably a good thing. But it sure as hell isn’t calming us down at all. If anything, we’re now a highly-combustible nation, emotionally flammable and just waiting for spark to set us off.
Granted, I don’t think our current ludicrous national mood has nearly as much to do with what we’re drinking as it does our politics and the insidious effects of modern technology, but shouldn’t it be more balanced-out with the calm that comes from being around water all the time?
I really hope the solution isn’t drinking even more water, because I don’t even think that’s possible.