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The Value of Water

he past few years here in Southern before water can even reach the faucet. In Haiti,
California have been exceptionally dry. people don’t have water flowing out of faucets in
TIt’s reached the point that the government their homes. They don’t have access to clean water
is even offering people incentives for changing at all. They have to go out and buy water just to be
their watering habits and switching to desert able to drink, brush their teeth, and bathe.
plants. Certainly this wouldn’t happen if the
After seeing this, I changed some of my
problem were not already critical.
habits here at home. It’s such a dry climate in
But many people still haven’t awakened to the Southern California, is it really necessary to
dire situation we face. No matter what happens, shower every single day? Now I no longer shower
we always think that we will get through it. We every day except when I actually need to. And I’ve
are sure tomorrow will better. But what if things grown to appreciate such easily accessible water by
don’t come around? What then? We like to think treating it with more respect, no matter what I’m
that can’t happen, but we have no way of knowing. using it for.
What if it does?
In Haiti, we’ve seen that pollution is not only
It’s truly something to think about how making the water undrinkable, it is even clogging
extravagant our lives have become. We need up waterways and flooding communities. This
water to live, but we waste so much of it trying is what happened in Cap-Haïtien this past
to fulfill our greedy desires. More water is used November. While many other nongovernmental
in meat and dairy production than in any other organizations have left Haiti in the five years
industry—not just for the animals to drink, but since the earthquake, Tzu Chi is still there. When
also to wash away their excrement, which in turn we saw the conditions caused by the November
pollutes the environment. So, a vegetarian diet is flooding, it was Master Cheng Yen’s great wisdom
not only good for our bodies and the environment, that led us to carry out a Cash-for-Relief project,
it is also the best way to conserve water. just as in the Philippines a year earlier.

The most important thing we can do is to Even though Tzu Chi has been in Haiti for so
change our everyday habits. We need to remain long, we always face many challenges, especially
vigilant and truly evolve in the ways we think safety and the language barrier. So I’m very
about and use water. Only then can we have grateful to Dharma Master Cheng Yen, everyone
positive results. Otherwise, when push comes to at Tzu Chi Global Headquarters, and also all of
shove, it will already be too late. And there won’t our United States Tzu Chi volunteers for helping
be any way back. us find ways to overcome these challenges. Even
though Cash-for-Relief alone cannot solve this
Traveling to Haiti these past five years,
problem, it is a very promising start. We were able
I’ve seen how important access to water can be.
to motivate and encourage the people, and we will
Here in the United States, there’s a flaw in our
continue to work with them to ensure a brighter
perception—we think that when we turn on a
future.
faucet, it’s only natural that water comes out.
Han Huang
But actually there is so much that has to happen