Why Water Is Not A "lazy" Offering

Why water is not a "lazy" offering

Water was a requested topic and there was plenty of ways to tackle the topic. I’ve chosen this angle of approach because I know I’ve seen some people struggle with the idea. So let’s talk about it and give some context: if you’ve grown up with the luxury of always having had access to clean water, it’s something you take for granted. I urge you to think of the last time the water was shut off in your house for any reason and how it impacted your comfort.

Water in Ancient Greek life The Ancient Greeks did not have running water directly in their homes. In Athens, the first hydraulic project is dated between 546 and 527 BC. The city was supplied in water: they had functional lavatories, functional aqueducs and water pumps but those were public commodities, not private ones. In fact, Plutarch tells us that Solon, an Athenian statesman between the 7th and 6th century BC, encouraged individuals to build their own wells if they lived in an area that was not sufficiently supplied and had the right to ask their neighbor for about 40 liters of water a day and make provisions in case of need (Plutarch, Solon, 23). Water safety was a legitimate concern, as it depended on the clemency of weather and could be jeopardized in emergency situations like wars.

The philosophy of water by Thales of Miletus (626/3-548/5 BC) Without going into the details of Thales’ thought, he theorized the idea that water was the fundation of matter and thus, is the first principle. It is through Aristotle that we know of this hypothesis. While a lot of the theory is scientifically wrong, I think the theory serves its role in showing us how much water mattered as a substance essential to life.

On a religious level Spring water is potable. It is its greatest difference with sea water, which while abundant, is not drinkable. Poseidon, as the master of seas and Zeus as the bringer of rains play an essential part in the natural cycle of water. Lack of water has catastrophic consequences on living things, and the Ancients knew that they relied on Zeus’ rains for their crops to grow, for their springs to be filled, for their cattle to feed and drink.

So when the Ancient brought water to the altar as an offering, they brought something precious. They sacrificed a substance that they relied on for their own survival. They knew that water supplies were not infinite and that the rains bestowed by Zeus allowed for their well to stay full.

Considering water as a “lazy” offering is just the epitome of privilege. The privilege of not having to worry about your access to water, the privilege of not having to wonder if the water coming from your tap is clean or not. All while forgetting that access to potable water is still a problem today for many. If what you see when you think of offering water is the easiness of turning on your tap and tossing a glass on your altar, then you’ve forgotten what your offering means.

Sources: Terje Tvedt, Terje Oestigaard, A History of Water: Water and Urbanization, 2014

focus on the likes and not the wants

you may not want to clean your room, but you like the peace and call it brings you after

you may not want to study, but you like the confidence and satisfaction you get from being prepared

you may not not want to apologise, but you like the relief and connection that reconciliation brings

you may not want to cook, but you like the satisfaction of eating a healthy come cooked meal prepared with love

you may not want to exercise, but you like how you feel afterwards and how it makes you confident

you may not want to journal or write, but you like the reflection and calm it brings you

you may not want to step out of your comfort zone, but you like the new experiences and growth you gain from it

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thatgurlpersephonee

4 months ago

Sex work is work, right? And men, they have needs! Sexual ones!

So why are men not LINING the blocks to have sex AND get paid for it at the same time? It's win-win! It's empowering, right!?!?Why do lonely incel men go to brothels to be sex-buyers and not prostitutes when they would get paid for it?!?

Deep down everybody knows why. Sex trafficking is not work, and it is not empowering, otherwise men would be absolutely shitting themselves silly to get a slice of it.

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thatgurlpersephonee

3 months ago

I can dislike Blake Lively for her plantation wedding and tone deaf marketting and believe her when she says she has been harrassed because I'm an adult and my brain is developped enough to hold two truths at once, especially when these two truths have nothing to do with one another.

I'll believe her on her word alone, because when I said "me too" and "believe victims" I didn't mean "but only likeable victims though the annoying ones can stfu". But I don't have to. Because he literally signed a legal document agreeing not to do these behaviors again, emphasis on again.

And while she had the grace to only request that he stop those behaviors so she can keep working and didn't sue his ass right away, he decided to retaliate in a smear campaign that had even the staunchest feminists rallying around him. I'll admit, even I fell for his good guy spiel there, especially because years of his "man enough" podcast have bought him so much good will within the feminist community. And to find out that he was using us to prop up his career and harrass women behind the scenes? That is a betrayal. And the fact that the tactics of his team worked so well is something I have to sit with and unpack.

And yes, it's uncomfortable to realize you've been had. But the solution isn't to double down on a victim. It's to take a step back and admit that we are not immune to propaganda. Only then can we start taking steps to escape, or at least learn to see the signs. If you're 100% convinced propaganda and brainwashing will never work on you, you'll be the first one to fall for it. You have to admit to a fault before you can start fixing it.

And this case is not about the harrassment. She's not suing him for harrassment. She already settled that with a legally binding document. She's suing him for retaliation and exposing something that women in the public eye have been talking about for so long but without any physical proof they couldn't take any legal steps. She's exposing how these pr firms will literally bury women the second they become inconvenient to the industry. Blake Lively is far from the first. But I am hoping this is a step towards making her one of the last.

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thatgurlpersephonee

4 months ago

i hate male entitlement, i hate male violence, i hate male aggression, i hate male weaponised incompetence, i hate male binary thinking, i hate male militarised thinking, i hate male arrogance, i hate male possessiveness, i hate male behaviour, i hate males but above all i hate the fact that i have to interact with males regularly, even when i make every attempt not to.

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thatgurlpersephonee

1 month ago

“Don’t infantilize autism” should be used when people who aren’t autistic treat autistic adults like children.

It should not be said when people who are actually autistic have “childish” interests or stuffed animals and such. Autistic adults are allowed to find comfort and express their autism in ways that works for them (without causing harm), even other autistic people don’t get to tell them not to enjoy those things just because they dislike stereotypes or don’t want themselves to be infantilized.

You can’t tell someone else their life should be breaking a stereotype you dislike. That’s not up to you.

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