An unusual way of looking at water
The philosophy of water molecules is not something we usually think about – but perhaps we should. This unusual perspective was the subject matter of Professor Shivani Bhardwaj Mishra’s lecture at Scifest Africa on Wednesday.
A profoundly religious woman who has a by-line on more than 80 hard-science articles in academic journals, Mishra argued that we should not be surprised by her proposal to reflect more deeply on the triatomic molecule. The well-known chemical symbols ‘H20’ signify that each water molecule has three atoms: two hydrogen and one oxygen.
She says that this molecule speaks volumes about the morality, humility, sustainability, strength, weakness and its ability to unite physical forms of nature.
Mishra supports her argument for the spirituality of water by pointing out that different religions including Christianity, Buddhism and Sikhism have rituals or ceremonies that use water. She observes that none of the major religions use expensive liquor in their rituals, and no one will say, “I'll make my god happy with an expensive liquor, or spend millions of dollars to do religious ceremonies. Nobody does that even if they can afford it.”
She used the process of water evaporation as a metaphor for the struggles of life. Water molecules are kept down by gravity and even when the molecules want to rise up, they are held back by the surface tension of the water. Eventually with great effort, the molecules break the bonds holding them back and evaporate into the atmosphere where they join up to form clouds.
Just as water molecules battle forces restraining them from rising up, so humans must contend with their own obstacles hindering them from climbing to the top. Mishra believes that the way to overcome these obstacles is through good work and consistent application. She explained, “… with my persistence and with my hard work I can rise”.
She said that her philosophical outlook on life in general, and on science in particular, helped her to face the challenges of life and to prevail over many of the inevitable disappointments of her career.
Mishra argues that we need to learn to step back and think a little more deeply about the things we do. She thinks that our modern society, and especially the younger generation, has become too obsessed with technology so that we waste time worrying about our social media performance and other irrelevant distractions instead of thinking about the deeper meanings of life.
She believes that philosophy should be taught at schools, not as a separate subject, but could possibly be integrated into a subject such as life orientation.