Parable of the Spring

Legend held that high in a sacred mountain there was a spring. This spring gave forth pure, life-giving water to all who partook. Direct contact with the spring, as well as the water from it, was deeply treasured by the nearby community. It signified many important things to them about their relationship to their creator.  They would take trips to enjoy and be refreshed by its life-giving water. It had a taste unlike any other. It even had a fragrance which some said had the aroma of the skies. They knew by experience it was pure. The effects were clear and calming and left one with peace.  All were invited to come and partake of this living water for themselves.

Years went by and this community went from its humble beginnings to a towering, prosperous city. Soon economically minded individuals saw that since drinking water was necessary for the people, they could profit and research ways to provide it more efficiently, and in a way that was to the residents' liking. Spring water after all could be a booming business. The spring came to be viewed primarily for its potential profit.

It was said that if this water could be bottled, controlled, and overseen by a corporation they could manage it, and make sure everyone had access to it, near and far. They could also manage what was in it.  After all, purity strength and composition were necessary regulations that would have to be put in place and overseen if they were to provide guarantees to the community.  And so, it happened.  Soon water rights were sought and obtained.  Controls and regulation quickly followed in the name of safety and risk management. The community could now rely on those who had the 'right' to be in charge of the spring and its water.  The benefactors assured them this was progress.    

With the convenience of drinking from bottles, people no longer had to concern themselves with the actual spring or the potentially laborious trek up the mountain to get it.  This was believed to have surely improved the citizen’s lives. Many of the residents were pleased.  In time, the actual spring itself became somewhat forgotten, and its true value and water was referenced, but directly experienced less and less.

Those who oversaw, packaged, and delivered the water in consumer bottles were chosen for their business savvy and skills rather than their knowledge of, or experience at the spring. Such experience was deemed unnecessary for their positions. Respect, honor, and devotion towards the water company increased throughout the entire culture as it grew. In the eyes of some, they became a suitable substitute to what the spring provided. The name of the spring still appeared on the bottle label which helped ease everyone's minds about authenticity.  Over time the citizens would increasingly tolerate or even praise any developments offered by the water bottling company.

As generations who had been to the spring passed, presumptions and traditions replaced the truth about the Spring and its water.  Many presumed only a few from the water company actually drank directly from the spring or were even allowed to.  After all, "it's reserved" some people would say.  "It's all private property now" others would teach.  Notions of secrecy emerged.  It was widely agreed that to visit the spring was not for the general population, and nothing further about the spring should be considered.  Some openly taught that the mountain was dangerous, and so was the water since it hadn't yet been filtered per the regulations.  The bottled water is all you need and you're safe drinking it.

Law in this community required ingredients to be listed on all consumer products. However, ingredients and their associated meanings became clouded in language the common citizen did not understand. The definitions of the ingredients slowly changed over time, but the actual words used on the bottle label did not.  The vocabulary put many at ease because it sounded official and original.  The adoration and reverence that at one time surrounded the spring were slowly transferred to the institution packaging and distributing the water, and sometimes even to the bottle itself.  Many would develop sincere beliefs about what they thought was true of the water and the bottles they drank from.  People in the community would share strong and heartfelt emotions which helped themselves and others feel reassured of the truth of their beliefs. 

Soon, new advertising and marketing strategies offered flavors, and artificially sweetened "vitamin water".  Many were pleased at the progress.  Then, as technology grew, it became easier and less expensive to distribute recycled water rather than spring water.  The water company eagerly adopted these cost cutting measures.  They concluded that even though recycled or downstream water may contain trace amounts of strange chemicals, or flushed pharmaceuticals, they were in such small amounts that it wouldn't have any negative effects on people's minds or body. The corporation sought the insight of experts who concluded that the people didn't notice many differences, and the human body needed water, but not necessarily directly from the spring.  Experts were continually sought to study the various outlets, soil composition, human physiology, behavior, and public opinions. 

One humble searcher discovered that the plastic bottle the spring water was packaged in was subtly contaminating the water.  The processes involved in packaging both removed elements and mingled in foreign elements.  Man made cleansing and purifying processes were unable to sufficiently purify the water.  Since everyone in the community was drinking it, no one was noticing the subtle effects and trends. It became increasingly impure and different from its origin.  The water company assured their customers not to be alarmed, that everything was fine, and they should only focus on being part of the grand work of delivering the water to the world.

Those who voiced discoveries such as the bottle contamination were often mistreated or viewed as outcasts. Out of fear, many ignored the information their senses provided. A few of the residents of the city still knew of the hike to the spring where they could enjoy this God-sent life giver, but they were seen as irreverent, and troublemakers.  

One day in the early fall a young man who knew of the legend of the Spring was caught in a rainstorm and paused from where he was headed to stand beneath a tree.  He inhaled deeply to enjoy the aroma of such clean air and was suddenly struck with an unmistakable impression to venture towards the mountains in the distance. Straightway he turned and headed towards the dark fog clouded figures. After a little while he remembered how he loved the rain and thought it a blessing from the heavens. Water from above watered both the flowers and the weeds. As he looked heavenward a drop of rain landed in his mouth. Although small and simple, he noticed a hint of something.  It was a taste strangely familiar to him. He recognized something faint yet clear, but he wasn't sure from where. As he pondered, he thought he heard something coming from the mountain.  But he was wet and needed to return home. 

A few days later he noticed his thirst was more and more unquenched. Something had altered his tastes and the bottled water he drank now puzzled him. He looked at the label and saw the original small print by the founder identifying the water had come from a spring high in the mountains. He had heard stories of this spring, as well as the legend about some old community that had left artifacts that were still preserved.  He again thought he heard something. He decided he needed to learn for himself the truth about this spring, and why he hungered and thirsted as he did.

The young man set out, the wind being his guide. He found the way. When he returned from the mountain he would return a different person. It took the man some time to find the spring. There were many peaks and valleys, one was called death's shadow.  But at length he found the spring, saw its beauty, felt its purity, and tasted of its goodness. He received what it offered, and knew his life would never be the same. The experience was unlike anything he had ever considered. Life began anew.

The spring water had a cleansing effect, which affected his residence. Although he wanted to, the experience wasn't something he was able to share with many people. The rigorous hike and the required passages required everything of the person hiking, so this was not for the unprepared, or disinterested.  He concluded that this treasure was worth any price. He later noted how the spring had provided a living presence inside of him, it became part of him, and he part of it. They became one.  When he returned to the city, he noticed there in the sacred writings was a description of what he struggled to put into words

As the man adjusted again into his everyday life, he noticed members of his community held tight to beliefs and traditions, based on sentiment and emotion about the spring water delivered to them in plastic bottles.  In other circles people would often testify of this water's purity, claiming to know of its perfection, their view was bolstered by the ongoing success of the water company. Great love and adoration were expressed towards those who delivered this life necessity.  This provided assurance that things were well, and emotions ran proud. The more it was distributed, the more the sense of overall well-being grew.

The impurities, and lacking components had altered many people's orientation, and affected their hearing as well as eyesight.  The man's concern deepened but a warmth inside him led him to pray in behalf of those among whom he lived and loved.

While the man acknowledged and was grateful for what remained of the original elements of the packaged water, in his heart he treasured the spring and its direct effect on him above all else. It filled him and gave him rest. He also treasured the rare moments when a few close friends and he could speak of and share in the joy and blessings of the spring. Without water, human life could not survive. He began to see more clearly the grace and mercy of the creator in all that transpired to him and around him - both in what puzzled him, and in what fulfilled him.

Many years came and went, and the man grew old and passed away rejoicing in that which awaited him. His cheerful attitude and talk of hope got him the title "Grandpa Hope" by his posterity.  He left a record for them, in a very non assuming and humble book. 

Generations passed and only a residue of understanding remained in the community of the sacred spring.  At one point a terrible disaster occurred in that part of the land. The city was left desolate. A few remnants remained who huddled together and due to the water source near the old city decide to re-settle there.  They knew the spring and treasured it deeply.  The spring became part of them, and they part of it. It was because of the Spring that they knew who they were.  

(Picture by Bierstadt, Albert)