What is the point of writing, I wondered, when there are already so many words? Books have been written, article after article, daily news stories, and now billions of words added daily online. Writing seems as useful as spitting into the ocean.
But then I considered water: even though it is common enough to cover the earth, it's not all drinkable. The largest bodies of water are too salty. Even when floods appear, the water becomes contaminated by dirt and ruined objects. And there are still places where droughts happen, though nature continuously recirculates water through evaporation to move, restore and refresh it. And even fresh rain can be contaminated in air by man's pollution.
Like drops of water, many words out there do not bring life. They discourage, frighten, deceive or mislead. It's not just water that's needed but fresh, living water, and it is not just words that are needed, but life-giving words.
"For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water shall flow from the inmost being of anyone who believes in me." John 7:38 (TLB)
Title based on quote from Samuel Taylor Coleridge in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
