Wisdom from old adage

[GON]

Saying heard for the first time today "Once You Carry Your own Water, You Will Learn The Value of Every Single Drop."


It is currently 630 am in SE Asia this Sunday morning. Came across a saying I never heard before. My grandsons will be hearing this saying from me.

Once You Carry Your own Water, You Will Learn The Value of Every Single Drop.

What is the first thing that comes across your mind when think of this quote?

 

[hemitom]

Our careless after thought of a precious resource

 

[Escape08]

 

[fdcg27]

How nice it is to have all of the clean water you want just by opening a valve.
In a broader sense, just how easy life is in our country, even for our relatively poor.
It is not so for much of the world.

 

[GON]

I took the saying as when it is given/provided to a person, it may be taken for granted. When someone has to "work" for it, they have an appreciation for what is required to make things happen.

 

[VersysVsWhat]

That the person who coined the phrase is likely from Arrakis!



More seriously, I would echo what Hemitom and Fdcg27 said.

 

[BHopkins]

I've never heard this saying before. But as soon as I read it, I liked what it teaches.

I took the saying as when it is given/provided to a person, it may be taken for granted. When someone has to "work" for it, they have an appreciation for what is required to make things happen.

This is the way I interpreted it too.

 

[RoadDukie]

Yup,
It ain't about water...

Ethics, honor, work, and perseverance.

 

[samven]

I have never heard that put so eloquently, My dad always said you will never appreciate anything unless you have a little sweat invested in it. Which is probably why he would never buy us anything big unless we payed for a portion of it (varied by age) and birthday or Christmas money didnt count, we had to earn it somehow.

 

[barryh]

The first thing that comes to mind is that a hiker carries his own water and even 1 days supply of water is seriously heavy. Is there really more to the saying than that ?

 

[Urshurak776]

This should be the motto for a Sherpa service at Everest.

 

[Smoky14]

Very old saying here in the desert.
Smoky

 

[4WD]

I took the saying as when it is given/provided to a person, it may be taken for granted. When someone has to "work" for it, they have an appreciation for what is required to make things happen.

I took it to mean when you carry your own weight - you’ll better appreciate what you have earned …

 

[OVERKILL]

I took it to mean when you carry your own weight - you’ll better appreciate what you have earned …

Same.

 

[GSCJR]

To me @GON, it means, to be thankful for whatever you have, and to not take things for granted.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

Yup,
It ain't about water...

Ethics, honor, work, and perseverance.

Or it could apply to water in many parts of the world.

 

[RoadDukie]

Or it could apply to water in many parts of the world.

Oh yes, it certainly does.

I've witnessed first hand, people in Zimbabwe, Kenya, and S.A. carrying water for miles in nasty containers that I would be hesitant to put gasoline inside. In fact, these containers may have originally held petroleum products. Water is heavy too. They do it every day...

 

[SeaJay]

Our careless after thought of a precious resource

I contend that the reason that it teaches the value of every drop is that water is heavy, over 8 pounds a gallon. A 40 pack of Costco half liters is over 40 pounds which I carried a couple of into the garage earlier. Fun times.

 

[Pew]

Oh yes, it certainly does.

I've witnessed first hand, people in Zimbabwe, Kenya, and S.A. carrying water for miles in nasty containers that I would be hesitant to put gasoline inside. In fact, these containers may have originally held petroleum products. Water is heavy too. They do it every day...

My parents grew up in that lifestyle of SE Asia. She'd tell me some stories of back then, carrying water for miles included. She's in her late 50s now still able to impressively sling big bags of rice around.

 

[ATex7239]

I take it to mean an appreciation for the things in life which truly matter. Anyone who has done long term hiking, outdoor camping in remote locations, visited third world countries etc. understands how precious potable water is.

I’d venture many on here would throw out a gallon of drinking water before recycling a gallon of old motor oil. Modern society and living standards have conditioned us to see priorities differently.