by Scott Cressman

What will we be remembered for?

I had this discussion with my friends recently. When our children and grandchildren look back at how we lived at the beginning of this century, what will make them roll their eyes in disbelief? What will make them mutter “that generation was so wrong about…”?

I might shake my head at the past decades’ over-sized SUVs, lack of seatbelts, or asbestos use, but am also sure my descendents will do the same towards me.

Predicting the future is a tricky task, but I think my generation could be judged for how it uses water. Of course, we can be dangerously careless with all the resources we’ve been given. But water is so vital to our survival: we need fresh water to drink, to stay clean, and to grow crops. No wonder the biblical writers portray water as the symbol of life itself.

The ever-growing number of human beings on our planet means we need to get better at sharing water very soon. At this point in history, it’s easy to take the stream from our taps for granted. Golf courses soak the fairways too keep them lush and green. At home, we take long showers, and flush liters down the toilet.

Many people around the world already don’t have this luxury. Recent data is hard to find, but the World Health Organization reported in 2002 that one sixth of the world’s population lacked a clean water source. That’s more than 1 billion people, mostly Asian and African, who suffer various diseases from unclean water. Everyday, thousands die from drinking tainted water. Understand and appreciate that the stuff which flows to us so easily is a life-or-death struggle for many of our global neighbours. That’s a hard message to hear and even harder to act on. (Check out UNICEF’s website and this WHO report for more information.)

What will we be remembered for? Will 2009 be a year when people said no to excess, waste, and inequality? Can you find ways to flush toilets less, water lawns less, and avoid guzzling more water than your share? Are we alert enough to see where society is failing and steer our lifestyles towards a new course?

What do you think? What will be this generation’s legacy?

Scott Cressman is from small-town New Hamburg, Ontario. He has wrestled a journalism degree from Carleton University, planted forests in B.C., and served in a Mennonite summer camp. Now, he teaches English to South Korean children.