Healthy Water- a Basic Need
53What are our basic needs?
- Oxygen (air)
- Food
- Water
- Constant body temperature (98.6 F. )
Lets focus on the two basic needs that are often taken for granted, maybe because we don't immediately see value in them. Air is , well, (for the time being, and the most part) still free. I suppose if we have to air up our auto tires, while on the road, we see immediate value in air.
We'll talk about free air later.
Did my Grammar School Teacher coin the phrase, " You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink"; Or was she borrowing a quote from a timeless philosopher? What ever the case may be, the saying still stands true today and is relevant to this essay.
If I were to take you by the hand and show you a cool, pure spring of water, maybe a natural mountain spring , a healthy spring, would you drink from it? Some would probably want it tested (a very good point). For the most part, though , this healthy spring is free. We would really see value if it were tested. Tested for what? Well, let's back up a little and see where I came up with our four basic needs, no it wasn't from my High School Biology teacher, although I'm sure they led me to that knowledge, I just didn't drink.
Abraham Maslow (1908-1970): PhD. In Psychology ; who created the now famous, "Hierarchy of Needs" , labeled our 4 basic needs as the "physiological needs", and are the foundation of all our needs. Yes there are more , but the basics must be met before we advance to the others. Dr. Maslow identified the physiological needs as , oxygen, water, protein, salt, sugar, calcium, and other minerals and vitamins. They also include the need to maintain a pH balance (getting too acidic or base will kill you) and temperature (98.6 or near to it). Also, there's the needs to be active, to rest, to sleep, to get rid of wastes (CO2, sweat, urine, and feces), to avoid pain, and to have sex. Quite a collection!
I said (well, I and Dr. Maslow) all that to say this. Remember, I'm backing up and asked the question, "tested for what". Well Doctor Maslow listed all kinds of ingredients, I assume for the food group of which included minerals and proper pH balance. So then if minerals and a proper pH balance is essential to our basic needs, we would want to test that water for the same. Then if I pulled out my handy swimming pool water test kit and the healthy spring water tested no chlorine, not acidic, perfect pH balance, and I found a good mix of trace minerals, could we see value in it? Forgive me if I answer, sure we would see value and that healthy spring water would be desirous to drink.
Let me conclude this theses on a couple of points; Dr. Maslow died a relatively young man, maybe he lost focus on his theorizing. An article stated he embarked on a crusade into "Humanistic Psychology". For whatever reason he died at age 62, he is not a very good reference for my next point.
The Bible states in Gen. 6:3 mans' days shall be one hundred and twenty years. While we seem to be doing better, the life expectancy in the late 1800's was like 45 yrs., and is now around 75 yrs., very few Americans live to see 120, and if some reach 100, their quality of life is badly degraded. This is unlike most Japanese men, who live near the reefs of Okinawa .
Now you might ask ,"Why is that", as I did.
A conclusion that was presented to me , is that they have seen the value and do drink water from the Healthy Springs.
According to Deepak Chopra MD in the book The Okinawa Program, there are other reasons for the health and longevity phenomenon in Okinawa:
- Eating a low-calorie, mostly plant-based diet with plenty of fish and soy foods and a great variety of vegetables as well as moderate amounts of the right kinds of fats
- Getting regular, life-long physical activity
- Enjoying strong social and community support for the elderly
- Realizing the health benefits of a universal, affordable medical-welfare system that focuses on a preventive approach and integrates much of what is good about Eastern medicine with the best of the West.
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