"Clean" Water

            Something that we have all come across, maybe on a daily basis, is bottled water; water that is supposedly filtered for our safety, then bottled for our convenience. Of course, we all know this. We also realize that water is readily available to us at the turn of a faucet, maybe even dispensed from a refrigerator or a water cooler. And yet, there is still something that draws millions of consumers back to buy bottled water.

            Let’s look at some examples. Almost all bottled water labels contain the color blue. This is aiding to the customer wanting to buy, giving the idea of something refreshing, cool, and ultimately clean. Many water bottles have the images of mountains in their labels, referencing the idea of water coming from a natural spring somewhere in the Alps, being readily bottled just for you.

The reality is that most water bottle companies are using tap water, something that you can get everywhere. Once again, branding has gotten the best of us. We are buying and not even realizing our reasoning behind the purchase. This is just what companies are hoping for. Their advertising is so engrained in our minds that it does not even occur to us to think that what we are doing is not natural; what we are doing is not a necessity.

 Bottled water is one of the silliest things, in my opinion. At one point in my life, it was because I was very concerned with protecting and conserving the environment. The fact that plastic bottles are made of harmful chemicals that will be sitting in landfills for centuries, unchanged, is very unnerving. Now, it is something even simpler than this idea that turns me off to bottled water: it’s the idea that I do not NEED to buy this. That water is available to me literally everywhere I go. That buying bottled water is one of the biggest waste of money that Americans partake in.

This frugal nature of mine was very difficult to overcome when I was in Honduras this summer. This summer, I had to buy a total of six water bottles. This is because in the area we were staying in, if we were to drink the tap water we would soon become violently ill. We were able to use our water filter for the most part, but there were a few instances where bottled water was the only option. Just having to hand over my money for this silly little bottle was a tad painful for me; I hate spending money in general, so when I am making an unnecessary purchase I am even more upset.

But the fact was, in that culture, bottled water was not just an accessible drink: it was a status item. In Honduras, they also sell bagged water for a much lower price. All through out the streets of the city, we would see school children, mothers, shop owners biting off a little piece of the plastic and drinking out of these bags. The bags are so popular because they are so cheap: less than an American dollar. If you were drinking out of a water bottle, or drinking filtered water in general, it meant that you were pretty well off.

I think the same can be said about our culture. Water “brands” like Smart Water and Voss give off a cool, sex appeal. They make water look cooler than it really is. We all drink it, we all have access to it, but buy packaging it the way they do, advertisers make us want this “good life” that is presented through bottled water.

Water is used widely in the Bible for imagery purposes, especially when talking about baptism. The fact that we have been washed clean from our sins by the death of Jesus Christ is a fundamental idea of Christianity. But the fact is, the “water” given to us from Christ was the most costly of all, yet we treat it as if it were just simple tap water. This water will wash over us, keep us from being thirsty, clean us from all of our impurities; yet we take it for granted. In order to receive this heavenly water, we need to devote ourselves to following in the way of Christ. We can’t do this when we are wrapped up in consumerism, worrying buying the right things to portray the right images. Because when we are walking with Jesus, we are giving off the most beautiful image of all: the image of God. 

Isn't that refreshing!