We can’t live with too much of it, and we can’t live without its life-giving and cleansing powers.
Physical thirst is a symbol of the deepest human desires for eternal life and love in God.
Although 71 percent of Earth is covered with water and the adult human body is at least 60 percent water, there is no law that guarantees access to clean water.
Yet this Earth Day we may not realize how a water crisis impacts at least one in every three people globally and nearly 10 million people in the United States.
The people of Flint, Michigan, are not alone in their struggle for clean, accessible and affordable water.
According to a 2017 study, Michigan State University researchers found that water prices need to increase by 41 percent in the United States over the next five years to cover the costs of replacing aging water infrastructure and adapting to climate change.
Water.org utilizes micro-financing as a way to build local infrastructure, increase water access, and reduce water costs to millions of people throughout the world.
May we find in water our shared vulnerability and humanity.
It is time we extend its affordability and accessibility to all.
[Alex Mikulich is a Catholic social ethicist.]