The Essence of Existence 243859

Niamh Kelly English 4U Mr. Cameron January 18th 2013

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1. Water is the essence of our existence. It is pure, ever flowing, ever changing; the definition of life itself. Life would not be on Earth without it. It is worshipped by many people such as naturalists, who believe that their connection with nature is the ultimate truth over any religion. People often write poetry and songs about the importance of water in their lives, offering praise to god for it. Every seven years, each person has a completely new body. Each cell has been regenerated. This could not happen without the cleansing properties of water. Water is the essence of all creation. Each human being is created out of water in the mothers womb. This is the most secure period of a persons life. One may not consciously remember this very early time; however, it is subconsciously implanted in every body cell. The foetus is cushioned from injury in this amniotic fluid and kept warm and nourished. This creates an affinity between water and people. It is becoming increasingly popular among expecting mothers to plan water births, as it is a much smoother process for the newborn. These children tend to be more relaxed, as they were brought into the world with a softer separation from their home in water. Almost four billion years ago, life began on Earth. Eubacteria is believed to be the first organism in existence. It dwelled in the sea. Billions of years of evolution led the world to how it is today; with the most complex of organisms to the simplest, all originating from water. These lyrics from the song When the water comes to life, by Cloud Cult recognise that life is water. All you need to know is you were born of water, you are made of water, you are living water, water, water. Essentially, this is the truth. Many believe that God uses the physical world as a metaphor for a higher truth. Water is the reflection of the Holy Trinity. There are many unique characteristics of water that are
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2. similar to the Lord. They are both ever present, as water makes up approximately seventy percent of the world. They each exist in three forms, water being the only matter on Earth to embody gas liquid and solid. God is the unseen; just like water vapour, which makes up thirty percent of the atmosphere. The Holy Spirit is sent by God from the heavens in the form of rain to nourish life on Earth. This quotation from the bible explains the importance of water in Christianity; They deliberately forget that long ago by Gods word that the heavens existed and earth was formed out of water and by water. Humans cannot survive over eight days without consuming water to rehydrate and replenish the system; yet it is often taken for granted. The first holy sacrament a Christian receives shortly after birth is baptism. A priest blesses the baby and welcomes it to the church by pouring holy water over its head. This act is the formation of a new Christian. The novels Green Grass, Running Water, by Thomas King, and Life of Pi, by Yann Martel explore the connection between water and creation. Both titles are linked to water. Pi is shortened from the French word piscine which means swimming pool. Green Grass, Running Water is a story about the formation of the world. It is told by four Native North American women, named Ishmael, Robinson Crusoe, Lone Ranger and Hawkeye. They recognise water as the beginning of the Earth; In the beginning, there was nothing. Just the water (1). They tell their story extremely carefully, making sure each detail is correct. In their stories, they incorporate different religious tales, one of which is Noahs Ark. This is a Christian story of how God cleansed the world of sin. He made Noah build an ark to fit his family, two of each animal and enough food to last the journey. When everything was organised, God made it rain for months and flooded the world for forty days to wipe out all the sin and begin afresh, creating a new world from water. When the flood receded, Noah set

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3. the animals free and built an altar to worship the lord. He then made a covenant with Noah that he would never repeat this. "Never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." He has been true to this promise so far. In Ishmaels version, Changing Woman falls from the sky and lands in a canoe, although Noah eventually kicks her off the boat as she refuses to follow the rules, just like what he did to his own family. Life of Pi is a story about an Indian boy named Pi. He and his family leave on a ship named the Tsimtsum, escaping Indias political downfall in hope of a better life in Canada. On the third day at sea, the ship sinks. Pi is the only survivor, having made it to a life boat in time. For 227 days, Pi is completely surrounded by water. This is the moulding of Pis new life. The word tsimtsum in a literal sense means reduction. To a Cabbalist, (a believer in the old testament of Judaism) tsimtsum is the diminishment of the divine energy which creates the world. In other words, it is a state of being present in the minds absence; similar to meditation. This is believed to be how the world will be saved. Mankind must come together in a state of intense awareness to overcome the insanity of todays society, and create a new world. The foundation for a new earth is a new heaven (A New Earth, 308). During the period of time that Pi was on the life raft, Gods energy was removed. Pi felt extremely weak throughout his travels and experienced hallucinations. He believed that there were animals from his fathers zoo on the raft with him: a hyena, an orang-utan, a zebra, and a Bengal tiger. This scene is similar to that of Noahs Ark also. Although he could not feel Gods energy, he knew he was still there; "Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love-but sometimes it was so hard to love" (208). He continued loving God despite how alone he felt during Gods incomplete presence. Pi knew that there was a reason that everyone on the ship was killed besides him. It was Gods intention to completely change Pis life. Martel

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4. chose to name the ship tsimtsum as it is inevitably surrounded by water; the essence of creation. Throughout Kings story, Alberta contemplates having a baby; although she loathes the idea of having a partner. When Coyote dances, a downpour of rain falls around Alberta, soaking her right through to her underwear (353). He intends to make Albertas wish for a baby come true. The water magically impregnates Alberta, creating new life; That woman who wanted a baby. Now, that was helpful (416). He was also the cause of the Virgin Marys pregnancy with Jesus. Rainwater is the cause of these immaculate conceptions. Native North Americans have a great respect for Mother Nature. There is much controversy over the building of the dam in Green Grass, Running Water. Eli (a local indigenous man) and Clifford Sifton (a white man) who is in favour of the project have an ongoing quarrel over the matter. Eli refuses to leave his cabin in order to make space for further construction, as it was built by his mother. He realises the stupidity of a dam; It looks like a toilet (136). It blocks the natural flow of life; like a disease that stops the flow of blood through the body. It eventually kills its host. In the case of the dam, it kills Eli and the surrounding plants when it finally gives way and floods the area. Although, now that the natural state of the river is restored, it brings Elis family together who begin rebuilding the cabin; The river slowly coming back to life (421). This is a reflection of the world being fixed by the Indian women. Martel writes a section of Green Grass, Running Water in allusion to Christopher Columbus voyage. Throughout the story, four cars belonging to various characters disappear in place of a puddle of water; a red Pinto, a Karman Ghia, and a Nissan. These are a metaphor for the ships that were involved in Columbus journey to India, the Nina, the Pinto and the
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5. Santa Maria. Back in the seventeenth century, people believed that the Earth was flat and that if you sailed too far out at sea, you would fall off the edge of the world. However, Columbus hypothesized that the Earth was round and he wished to prove his theory. He lied to his fellow sailors about the distance they had travelled to keep them calm. They arrived in America, unaware that they had discovered a new country, thinking it was India. Their trip through the water led them to the creation of a new era. Those cars somehow end up in the river by Elis house. If you look to you right, you will see three cars floating on the lake (406). They are part of the cause of the dam breaking when they crash into it during the earthquake. This begins a new era in the Blackfoot community, the death of Eli, who is replaced by Albertas expected child. It is the continual of the circle of life. Water, the liquid of life, was the beginning. It was here before light, life, and even air. It initiated the creation of everything that is known to humankind.

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Sources
Life of Pi, by Yann Martel Green Grass, Running Water, by Thomas King

When the water comes to life, by Cloud Cult The Holy Bible A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2047206/jewish/Tsimtsum.htm

http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/health/services/women/services/midwifery/ourservices/waterbirth/index.cfm http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bdorsey1/41docs/01-col.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah%27s_ark http://www.africanwater.org/religion.htm

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