Embrace the Strength of Water

by Reuben Chow

Think of a very strong material. What comes to mind?

Rock? Steel? Titanium?

Let’s take rock. Rock is indeed hard and strong. A blow with a piece of rock can cause serious bodily harm. A blow on the head with a piece of rock can even kill. Rock can break glass and can outlast many other solid materials.

Rock is heavy and sturdy, too. A water feature fountain made of rock, for example, may take the strength of a few men to lift. It’s a bit out of point here, but rocks can be beautiful as well. All in all, rock is a good, firm, strong material. A common symbol of strength.

But, observe a rocky stream or a rocky waterfall, and you may notice something – over a long period of time, water can wear out a piece of solid rock. But a piece of rock can never wear out or break water. Does that make water stronger than rock?

Another thing about a piece of rock is that, once you smash it and it’s broken into hundreds of pieces, that’s it – it is unable to easily regain its former glory. Water, on the other hand, adapts to the shape of its container and can never be smashed or broken. A cup of water split into millions of small droplets can easily be reconnected into a pool of water again.

Water also has the ability to change its form. At very low temperatures, water freezes and turns into ice; water can also evaporate and turn into water vapor, its gaseous form. Both its liquid and gaseous forms adapt and change shape according to its container, while its solid form is a hard material. Although ice can be broken, it can always be melted and re-frozen into a big block of ice again.

Do not underestimate the brute strength of water, either. Water is heavy, as you would know if you had ever tried to carry 20 liters of it. Furthermore, water in a container or a piece of ice is very strong and can inflict serious injury.

So which is stronger – rock or water?

Much depends on one’s definition of strength. But with versatility and agility, as well as a large dose of determination and persistence, one can achieve a lot more than just being very hard and rigid all the time.

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