Water Child

Located in the Upper West Side on 79th St. stands a boy swinging a hammer. Banksy’s, the artist responsible for this artwork, identity remains unknown. His intentions for his work are unknown, still, his work remains controversial over the argument of vandalism. This piece of art is protected by a plastic screen by the local store, Zabars, in order to keep the “usual work” of art from being removed or tampered with. Reason being is that some see this work as destroying and degrading property but on the other hand, some see it as a representation of important issues and topics we face today. 

Everything we do today affects the children of the world because they are the future. The boy swinging a hammer to gain access to source of water represents opportunity. The child holds the future in his hands and the only way to succeed is to take the opportunities that are presented to him. As the boy swings the hammer, he is cleansing himself of all the negativity that is holding him back from reaching opportunity. In today’s society, children have the purest soul in the entire world. They are unaffected  by the opinions which corrupt our moral and ethics giving them the clearest path to reaching salvation.

Our moral and ethics affect how we live, breathe and act. With the right morals and ethics, we would be able to work and flow better on the path to salvation as we live our lives. The flow of society is dependent on us taking the right chances and opportunities that are presented to us. Yes, we do make mistakes by accepting the wrong opportunities but those are all learning lessons. We become spiritually pure as we determine what we need in life. The child smashing the fire hydrant is trying to reach the water which he needs. The circumstances of the child are unknown but we could assume he is smashing the fire hydrant as a necessity. The weather could be too hot, there could be a drought—but in any case, water is a necessity.

Water cleanses our body, it nourishes our soul and health which helps minimize the fear of death that we have in this world. Without water, we would die of dehydration. Which brings up the question—Why are we so afraid of death? We all are going to encounter death at some point, so why do we do everything we can to postpone our death? There is no definite answer to what happens after death but there is a hope of reaching salvation. In order to reach salvation, we must become pure and awoken. Water being salvation, we avoid the evil fears by taking this opportunity to access salvation through water. We postpone our moment of death to make sure we are pure so we can reach salvation.

Water is symbolized in many religions as a way of reaching salvation and purity. In Islam, water is represented as cleansing and purity because muslims must be pure in order to pray to God. In judaism, water is used to cleanse a person by washing the body to maintain a state of purity before taking apart in any temple services. Hindus worship water as it represents purity and protects a person from the negative influences that are in society. Christianity tells the story of Moses and how he parts the Red Sea to avoid the evil of slavery. He cleanses and protects the people from slavery by using the sea to negate the evils we face. He purified the world of slavery by taking the opportunity of the water he was presented with and used it as an obstacle but also a path to salvation. Christianity also uses “holy water” to bless certain objects or people. The common trend in religions is water being used to cleanse and purify oneself in order to reach salvation. 

To reach salvation, we must take advantage of the opportunities we are given. We must not give into the influences society gives us. We need to be true but also not going against each other. We need to flow like water. Bruce Lee, a Chinese Philosopher but also well known martial artist, said 

“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. 

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” 



Sources:

 "The Water Page - Water in Religion." The Water Page - Water in Religion. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.