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I love bodies of water.

They keep me calm and peaceful.

There was a river. It snaked and slithered through valleys and mountains, cutting across rock and stone, carving the very crust of Earth in its path, leaving a deep mark on the ground beneath, a constant reminder of its wonderous existence. The abundant nourishment it rendered towards the environment around it caused it to be sacredly venerated by all creatures.

The Ganges against the Himalayas.

Source: AI- Generated picture.

Then came Man. Man felt intimidated by this force of nature. This was chaos, and its flow was disruptive to man. Man was scared of this pure primal force. Thus, man and his society decided to tame this river and mute the roar of its waters. Man and his society wanted to control the river, he termed it as bringing order to chaos. Man and his society got busy with building a monumental construct- a dam that would teach this river on how to flow.

It was not long before the river got dammed. Probably rightfully so, since it flowed with such vigorous force, that if it were not dammed, it would be too powerful; strong enough to affect lives, send the sanest of men crazy, and uproot whole societies.

Thus, the dam governed the flow of the river. Now, the river was finally tamed. It was a mere shadow of its former self. Man and the society around him had domesticated this wild force of nature. The river flow was calm, its surface smooth. Gone was the raw power that accompanied its flow. Where there was the thunderous roar of its rapids, all one could hear now in its place was a mere echo, a whimper, a whisper from this once mighty behemoth. Docile and tame the river had become.

Now the river could be used for the benefit of others. Its tamed gentleness allowed it to become purposeful to the society around it. And they used it well enough for their needs. They had their fun and frolicked. Now, everyone loved the river, everyone was happy to be close to the river.

But what about the river? Well, what about it you may ask?

Water is the very life essence of this river. The dam had restricted the flow of the river, the dam reduced the river to a stream. Society accepted and loved the river once the dam was placed over it, but here is the query: does the river love herself? Did the river asked to be dammed?

“Am I even a river?” she pondered, for now she was not a river, but a mere stream, that served to satiate the thirsty desire of the society around it. No, truth be told, the river was not being used, it was being abused.

To the eye of the observer, the river was lovely, calm and serene. To the eye of man, the dam was a marvel of his creation, that served to bring order to the river, which to him was emblematic of chaos.

However, the calm surface of the river was a betrayal compared to the churning that was going on underneath its surface where a different tale awaited to be told. You can only hold back a force of nature so long before it reverts to its true nature. This river is the very Child of Mother Nature. Chaos was its very nature, order seemed artificial to it. The only order it knew was chaos.

Sediments began building up behind the dam. Sediments collected across days, weeks, months and years. Sediments that got dug out elsewhere and got displaced behind the dam. Months passed before cracks began appearing on the walls of the dam. This Child of Nature was relentless. This was a battle to reclaim her spirit. The spirit that man and his society considered disruptive and chaotic. The very same spirit that had been shackled and bound by the constructs of man yearned to avenge its humiliation.

And thus the River unleashed her fury, she never held back. The sediments building up behind the dam led to the retention of a huge volume of water behind its walls. Soon, the dam collapsed with a tremendous roar that shook the valley. The dam had been brought to its knees. The river, now free from the shackles that man and his society had bound, flowed forth with full fury. It rampaged anything and everything in its path. Man panicked upon witnessing this. Man, his house, his village, his ‘constructs’ and his society got uprooted. Long enough had She bore this humiliation; not anymore, She (the river) said.

The earth around her shook as she burst forth freely once again. This was literally groundbreaking!

It was not long before the river returned to her original self: there were no more artificial constructs by man’s society to impede her essence. Its thunderous roar echoed across valleys. The once scarred river had assumed her true self once again. She was full of power, might, force and fury, but above all else she was back to her original self, unapologetically this time.

Now, the river might not be frequented by man and his society compared to previously when it was dammed, but those who loved the river for its chaotic nature still appreciated it and found refuge on her steadfastly strong banks. They loved the river regardless of its flow, and accepted it for its natural genuineness.

“I love bodies of water. They may be chaotic, but they make me feel calm and peaceful” .