Funny thing how context is so hugely important when discussing a topic. Out of context, a word can be almost invisible - a non-event - OR it can become a Pandora's Box - a pariah - that starts a chain-reaction from which a firestorm erupts.
Just one word can hold such power.
One word can be thought of in different contexts, each context having relevance to different applications. Take, for instance, the word water and its differing meanings in the following phrases:
Fish out of water
Under water
Water over the dam
Watered-down
Water baby
Taking on water
Water source
Watering hole
Each phrase brings to mind a type of person, a place, a description, or situation. As a boater, water is a major force - both positive and negative - in a boating environment. Water outside the confines of the boat is an imperative. Water inside the confines of the boat takes on a totally different meaning. Taking on water holds a very negative context for a boater.
Under water isn't a positive thought for either a boater or the financial world, whereas a watering hole is where most of Wall Street flocks after the closing bell on Friday.
Just plain H2O is one of the few, vital things that the human body - humankind - cannot live without. Hence, the announcement that water has been discovered on the moon is a major discovery. Earth's water sources are ever-so-slowly being either depleted, contaminated or, if you believe the global-warming theorists, increasing due to glacial melting. Water: We cannot live without it but the life-sustaining substance is part of a tug-of-war between those who seek to use it for their own agendas and theories. States argue over the right to access water sources that are thousands of miles away. Will nations begin arguing over water?
No one, of course, has the answer to that question. What I do know is that while the discovery of water on the moon is of huge consequence somewhere in the grand scheme of things, it is just one more natural resource source that humans can squander and fight over.
I wonder how long it will take to build the pipeline?
Ancora imparo
