ADAM OLSEN -- The issues with water and poor management of it, or of the natural systems that catch, clean and deliver it, are flowing into me with much greater frequency these days
The other day, I invited readers to think
about, and maybe even share, something that you are thankful for.
I am inspired by the transformative power of
gratitude. If practiced consistently, it begins to rewire our minds which
absorb so much negativity each day.
It came to me as I was mid-morning walk that
I did not share something I’m grateful for. Last week I got to walk in the
rain! I’m thankful to be soaked by the cleansing rain!
SȽEMEW̱ is the word for rain in SENĆOŦEN,
the W̱SÁNEĆ
language. There is a beautiful story, passed down from one storyteller to the
next, about the first man in W̱SÁNEĆ.
He fell to the earth in the rain. His name was SȽEMEW̱.
You can hear the story in a short YouTube video and better understand our
deep connection to water and the importance of water in the teachings of the W̱SÁNEĆ.
Flowing waters
The sacred bathing rituals connect us to the purifying creeks that are
the earth’s circulatory system. For centuries they flowed freely from the
highest places to the lowest.
Today many have been diverted, dammed and damaged.
For decades we have taken water for granted. However, in recent days
with increasing droughts and the growing threat of climate change, we are
reawakening to the need to reconnect with water and its life-giving force.
Many communities are desperate to protect and enhance their water
supplies that have the devastation of the past century of poor management. We
must not take water or SȽEMEW̱ for granted.
The issues with water and poor management of it, or of the natural
systems that catch, clean and deliver it, are flowing into my email and
constituency meetings with much greater frequency these days. Increasingly, I’m
talking with my colleagues about water issues.
I think that will continue and the pressure will increase until we
change our culture of assumed abundance with respect to water.
Adam Olsen ... is a Green Party
Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Saanich North and
the Islands.
Born in Victoria, BC in 1976, Adam has lived,
worked and played his entire life on the Saanich Peninsula. He is a member of
Tsartlip First Nation (W̱JOȽEȽP), where he
and his wife, Emily, are raising their two children, Silas and Ella.
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