Water

In the past little while, I have spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about poverty, both in the macro (What causes it? Why are certain places plagued by it?) and micro (What would it be like not to have running water? What would I do if Thor cried and I had nothing to feed him?) senses. I'm not entirely sure what triggered this, other than just having a lot of time on my hands, what with all the feeding and bouncing and holding of the baby going on around here.

I've thought on numerous occasions in the past about how wasteful I am with potable water, relatively speaking. I was standing in the shower the other day and was pretty much done showering and just letting hot water run off of me for the fun of it. It occurred to me that somewhere -- actually, many places -- in the world, people were carrying water in buckets and here I was letting perfectly good, drinkable water run down the drain by the gallon. So lately I've been feeling guilty about things like that -- things like my water usage and my tendency to over-buy produce and have some spoil, and the items of clothing in my closet that I never wear.

I'm also wondering if guilt is really a productive thing in this instance. Maybe it is to the degree that it prods me to establish better habits, but on the other hand sometimes I wonder if I feel guilty about things just because I am in the habit of feeling guilty. What should I be doing about world poverty, anyway? Maybe I need to look more closely at the humanitarian aid fund.

I think a more appropriate feeling is gratitude, together with a healthy recognition of the fact that where much is given, much is required, including wise stewardship.