水：生命与力量之源
For English, please scroll to the bottom.
看英文内容，请直接滑动到底部。
老桑说
水对我们的生存是必不可少的。
它赋予我们生命，
赐予我们力量。
▾
「 朋友，你好，我是老桑。」
老桑在费尔蒙特水厂
费城今天的气温达到了40°C，这引发了严重的高温预警。专家提醒我们夏天要多喝水，避免脱水和中暑。这让我对水产生了思考——它们来自何方，我们怎样经常把它视为理所当然，以及它能教给我们什么。
为了了解更多的信息，我冒着酷暑参观了费尔蒙特水厂解说中心，该中心位于费城斯库尔基尔河上的费尔蒙特公园。运行于1815年至1909年，它是美国第一个市政供水工程，也是许多其他供水系统的典范。
费尔蒙特水厂
1793年，黄热病夺去了当时美国人口最多的城市费城五分之一以上的人口。城市的水井缺乏干净的水源被认为是引发这种流行病的罪魁祸首。为了应对疾病，城市的领导者们建造了一个泵站，从斯库基尔河抽取淡水，使费城成为世界上第一个将供水视为市政职责的城市。
费尔蒙特水厂是19世纪的一个工程奇迹。从河里抽取的淡水被提升到30多米高的地方，注入到邻近山上一个2200万加仑的水库中。然后，仅依靠重力，水就能effortless（毫不费力）地通过一个管道网络流向费城的家庭和企业。
张维尔涡轮
河水也为水泵提供了能源，水泵借此得以把水输送到水库。这座520米高的费尔蒙特大坝当时是世界上最长的大坝，它改变了斯库基尔河(Schuylkill River)流经水厂的方向，使涡轮转动。河水刺激了城市的经济增长，同时它的水力也为输送水的水泵提供了动力。
在中国文化中，河流既受人尊敬又令人畏惧。黄河流域是中国古代文明的发祥地，同时也是中国早期历史上最繁荣的地区。它虽然赋予人类以生机，但其力量也曾剥夺过人们的性命 。黄河频繁的毁灭性洪水和改道摧毁了邻近的农田和村庄，夺去了数百万人的生命。
水坝（1821）
费尔蒙特水厂后来成为美国最喜爱拜访和描绘的景点之一，堪比尼亚加拉大瀑布。公共长廊、雕塑和花园embellish（装点）着建筑物，其中许多至今仍然存在。当我走在小路，坐在喷泉旁时，不禁思考着水的意义，以及它如何教导我们成为更好的人。
心如止水是一种自我心态平和的境界，如同一个平静的池塘。如果有人把一块石头扔进去，水就会泛起涟漪，然后恢复平静，让石头下沉到所应归属的地方。水就在那里，有它自己phlegmatic（淡然的）力量，我们无需担心、计较、为困难而痛苦。
水是有限的。过去和将来存在的水资源仍然呈现着它们的身影。100万年前，世界上的H2O的总量与现在一样，因为没有新的水被创造出来。然而在经历了precipitation（降水）和蒸发的循环过程后，数百万年前恐龙所喝的水分子可能会在今天出现在你的厨房水槽中。当然，我们也可以不断地更新。
机房 （1815）
地球上有很多水。但是只有3%的水是淡水。今天，地球上有60多亿人。我们必须理性地使用我们的水，以确保每个人都有获得足够的分量。同样，在我们自己的生活中，我们应该警觉地去保护水所代表的精神安宁，不要屈服于焦虑或他人的操控。
我们的思想之水可以激励自我，坚韧我们的决心。河流的力量，海洋的力量，brook（小溪）的潺潺流水声，雷雨云的潜势，都与我们同在。当我们的思想像水一样时，我们就会变得自信，也会更加了解到自己的潜力。
“清空你的思想。无形无式，如水一般。将水倒入杯中，它变成杯的形状。将水倒入瓶中，它变成瓶的形状。将水倒入茶壶中，它变成茶壶的形状。水可静静流淌，亦可猛烈冲击。像水一样吧，我的朋友！”——李小龙
李小龙
达到心如止水的境界需要加以练习。我们可以从认识到大脑充满了紧张感开始(这有点像“心如手提钻”)，我们必须改变自己与这种紧张感的关系。探究困扰你的究竟是什么。可以把它写下来或者和别人交谈。这将帮助你构建问题的框架，并避免自己夸大任何问题。
然后，试着培养一种健康平和的心态。由于这是一项需要学习的技能，你可以绘制一幅流程图来获得期待的结果。可以把自己想象成一个自信的人，即使你现在并不自信，也要去写写看如果你拥有更大的平和与安全感之后，你的生活会是什么样子。你甚至可以把自己想象成水:对每种情况做出反应，然后任其流逝。
寓言雕塑 （1825）
“心如止水是一种当自己的头脑清醒时的心理和情绪状态，这时你有能力自由地进行创造和回应，心无旁骛又不会分心。”——大卫·艾伦《搞定:无压工作的艺术》
《道德经》说:“上善若水，水善利万物而不争，处众人之所恶。”老子的意思是，做好事对我们而言应该是一种自然的事情，“最高”的善应当来自内心，而不是来源于奖赏、惩罚或声誉等因素的激励。
同时，水代表谦逊。就像水在最低点落定一样，我们应该做别人不愿意做的事情，在他人跌倒的时候帮他们一把。
水是无处不在的。雨水从天而降，润泽大地，拍打着海岸。它能让你凉爽，使人清洁，浮起你的小舟。没有它你活不了多久。推而广之，我们“最高”的善也应该渗透到我们的生活中。当你对生活中必须做出的决定犹豫不决时，应该问问自己：“我怎样才能像水一样达到最高境界的善呢?”
斯库尔基尔河的寓言
另一种看待善的方式是去做好事但不要期待得到赞赏和认可。自我的满足感不应该来自于得到表扬或鼓励，而应该只是做到“功成不必在我，功成必定有我”。
在比较这两种表达方式时，“心如止水”指的是我们的心态，提醒我们无论身处何种环境都要保持平静。而“上善若水”则关乎个人的品德，引导我们在生活中谦虚，在工作中低调勤奋，做对别人有益的事情。诚然，水是一个恰当的比喻。
费尔蒙特水厂也有一个贻贝孵化场，因为淡水贻贝有助于水的洁净。它们进食的方式是将水从鳃上流过，并将污垢、藻类和污染物等固体物质困住。它们将固体转化为营养物质，丰富了环境。通过清洁河水，它们也能让光线到达河流的底部。
淡水贻贝
淡水贻贝孵化厂
由于水污染会导致霍乱和伤寒的流行，所以我们应该保持“干净的水”，无论是在我们的思想还是行动上。把自己和那些对你不好的人、地方、事物或活动隔离开来，用“贻贝”式的伙伴来代替它们，它们会清理垃圾，帮助你清晰地思考。希望你也把我当作一个伙伴，帮助你积极地思考和生活!
水也是身体的一部分。人类大约66%是水。我们的血液中有83%是水，甚至我们的骨骼中也有四分之一是水。
费城美术馆
我的朋友，夏天的炎热提醒我，水对我们的生存是必不可少的。它赋予我们生命，赐予我们力量。与此同时，我们可以向水学习，像水一样心平气和，当我们内心最高境界的善像水一样的时候，就应该保持谦虚的心态，为他人服务。所以，保持冷静，让你内心的声音和谦和的情操成为你的向导。
本文图片均由老桑拍摄。
往期文章
谢谢收看《老桑说》。
给你启发，激励你上进，陪伴你坚持。
敬请期待下一集。
英文版
English
﹀
﹀
﹀
Water: let it bring you life and power
▾
「 Hello, my friend！
I'm John Smagula. 」
Today in Philadelphia it reached 40°C (100°F), triggering excessive heat warnings. Experts remind us to drink more water in the summer to avoid dehydration and heat stroke. This got me thinking about water—where it comes from, how we often take it for granted, and what it can teach us.
Fairmount Water Works
To learn more, I braved the heat and visited the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, located in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park on the Schuylkill River. Operating from 1815-1909, it was America’s first municipal water works and was a model for many other water delivery systems.
In 1793, yellow fever killed more than 1/5 of Philadelphia’s population, then America’s most populated city. Lack of pure water in the city’s wells was thought to cause the epidemic. In response, city leaders built a pumping station to draw fresh water from the Schuylkill River, making Philadelphia the first city in the world to consider water delivery a municipal responsibility.
The Fairmount Water Works was a 19th-century engineering wonder. Fresh water from the river was pumped up more than 30 meters (90 ft) to a 22-million-gallon reservoir built atop a neighboring hill. Then, just by gravity, the water effortlessly flowed down through a network of pipes to serve Philadelphia homes and businesses.
Jonval Turbine
The water from the river also fueled the pumps that lifted the water to the reservoir. The 520-meter (1,712 ft) Fairmount Dam, then the longest dam in the world, redirected the Schuylkill River through the water works to turn its turbine wheels. The river’s fresh water spurred the city’s economic growth, and its water power fueled the pumps that delivered the water.
In Chinese culture, rivers are both revered and feared. The Yellow River basin is the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization and was the most prosperous region in early Chinese history. Despite giving life, its power also took life. The Yellow River’s frequent devastating floods and course changes destroyed neighboring farms and villages, taking millions of lives.
Fairmount Dam（1821）
The Fairmount Water Works became one of the most visited and depicted attractions in America, rivaling Niagara Falls. The buildings were embellished with public promenades, sculptures, and gardens, many of which still exist today. As I walked the grounds and sat by the fountains, I reflected on water and how it teaches us to become better people.
Mind Like Water is a state in which your mind is at peace, resembling a tranquil pond. If someone throws a rock into it, the water ripples and then goes back to equilibrium, letting the rock drop below where it belongs. The water is just there, having a phlegmatic power of its own, and we need not worry, calculate, or agonize over difficulties.
Water is finite. All the water that ever was or ever will be now exists. The same amount of H2O in the world today existed a million years ago, as no new water is ever created. Cycling through precipitation and evaporation, the exact same water molecule a dinosaur drank millions of years ago might show up today in your kitchen sink. We, too, can be constantly renewed.
Engine House（1815）
There’s a lot of water out there. But only about 3% of the world’s water is fresh. Today, there are more than six billion people on the planet. We must use our water wisely to make sure there is enough for everyone. Likewise, in our own lives, we should be vigilant to protect the mental peace that water represents, not giving in to anxiety or manipulation.
The water of our mindset can strengthen us and steel our resolve. The strength of a river, the power of an ocean swell, the bubbling of a brook, and the potential of thunderclouds are all within us. When we become Mind Like Water, we grow in confidence and become more aware of our potential.
“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.” –Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
It takes practice to achieve Mind Like Water. We can start by recognizing that our minds are full of tension (kind of like “Mind Like Jackhammer”), and that we have to change our relationship with that tension. Explore what is bothering you. Write it out or speak with someone. This will help you frame the issue and prevent you from exaggerating any problems.
Then, try to cultivate a healthy peace of mind. As this is a learned skill, you can create a map to get there. Visualize yourself as being confident, even if you’re not right now, and write out what your life would look like if you were at greater sense of peace and security. You can even see yourself like water: reacting to each situation and then just letting it flow away.
Schuylkill Chained（1825）
Mind Like Water is a mental and emotional state in which your head is clear, able to create and respond freely, unencumbered with distractions and split focus. –David Allen, Getting Things Done
The Tao Te Ching states, “The highest good is like water. Water gives life to everything but does not compete with them. It stays in places others despise.” Lao Tzu is saying that doing good should come to us naturally, allowing the “highest” good to come from within, without being motivated by things like reward, punishment, or reputation.
At the same time, water represents humility. Just as water settles at the lowest points, so should we do things that others are unwilling to do and help others when they are down.
Water is ubiquitous. It rains from the sky, flows through the landscape, and laps at the shore. It cools you, cleans you, and floats your boat. You couldn’t last very long without it. By extension, our “highest” good should also permeate our lives. When you are in doubt about a decision you have to make in life, ask yourself, “how can I be like water to achieve the highest good?”
Great Pavilion (1872)
Another way of looking at this is to do good without expecting credit or recognition. Satisfaction should come not from receiving praise or a pat on the back, but simply from contributing to society and being part of something larger than ourselves.
In comparing the two expressions, Mind Like Water refers to our mindset, reminding us to be at peace, regardless of our circumstances. The Highest Good is Like Water refers to our moral character, guiding us to be humble in life, low-key and diligent in our work, and to do what is necessary to benefit others. Indeed, water is an apt metaphor for both.
The Fairmount Water Works also has a mussel hatchery, as freshwater mussels are instrumental in making water healthy. They eat by passing water over their gills and trapping solids like dirt, algae, and pollutants. They transform the solids into nutrients, enriching the environment. By cleaning the river water, they also allow light to reach the bottom.
Mussel Hatchery
As contaminated water caused cholera and typhoid epidemics, so should we maintain “clean water” in our mind and actions. Separate yourself from people, places, things, or activities that are not good for you, and replace them with “mussels” who will clean out the debris and help you think clearly. I hope you consider me a partner, too, to help you think and live positively!
Water is also part of our physical makeup. A human is about 66% water. Our blood is 83% water, and even our bones are about a quarter water.
Frederick Graff, Hydraulic Engineer
My friend, the summer heat reminded me that water is essential to our survival. It gives us life and brings us power. At the same time, we can learn from water, coming to peace with Mind Like Water and being humble and of service to others when our Highest Good is Like Water. So, keep cool, and let your inner voice and humble spirit be your guide.
{ 今日英文速记卡 }
1.Effortless \ ˈe-fərt-ləs \
a)含义：adj. 不费力的；容易的
b)例句：
i.Then, just by gravity, the water effortlessly flowed down through a network of pipes to serve Philadelphia homes and businesses.
然后，仅依靠重力，水就能毫不费力地通过一个管道网络流向费城的家庭和企业。
ii.At first you were wobbly, but then it becomes effortless.
一开始你是不稳定的，但是过一段时间就变得容易了。
c)近义词： easy, facile, painless
2.Embellish \ im-ˈbe-lish \
a)含义：v. 修饰；装饰
b)例句：
i.The buildings were embellished with public promenades, sculptures, and gardens, many of which still exist today.
公共长廊、雕塑和花园装点着建筑物，其中许多至今仍然存在。
ii.Just tell the truth and don't embellish the story by any means.
讲真实的故事的时候不要加任何意思的修饰。
c)近义词：enrich, fancify, ornament
3.Phlegmatic \ fleg-ˈma-tik \
a)含义：adj. 冷淡的；迟钝的
b)例句：
i.The water is just there, having a phlegmatic power of its own, and we need not worry, calculate, or agonize over difficulties.
水就在那里，有它自己淡然的力量，我们无需担心、计较、为困难而痛苦。
ii.The phlegmatic gentleman listened to her, apparently at least, with coldness, and neither his voice nor his manner betrayed the slightest emotion.
这位沉默寡言的绅士只听她讲，至少在外表上看来他完全是冷冰冰的，不论在语调和动作上都没有表现出一点激情。
c)近义词：apathetic, impassive, unemotional
4.Precipitation \ pri-ˌsi-pə-ˈtā-shən \
a)含义：n. 沉淀；降水
b)例句：
i.Cycling through precipitation and evaporation, the exact same water molecule a dinosaur drank millions of years ago might show up today in your kitchen sink.
然而在经历了降水和蒸发的循环过程后，数百万年前恐龙所喝的水分子可能会在今天出现在你的厨房水槽中。当然，我们也可以不断地更新。
ii.But with no signs of any precipitation, the prospect of the harvest looks bleak.
但是由于没有任何降水的迹象，收获的前景看起来很渺茫
c)近义词： cloudburst, deluge, rainfall
5.Brook \ ˈbru̇k \
a)含义：n. 小溪
b)例句：
i.The strength of a river, the power of an ocean swell, the bubbling of a brook, and the potential of thunderclouds are all within us.
河流的力量，海洋的力量，小溪的潺潺流水声，雷雨云的潜势，都与我们同在。
ii.On the endless grassland gleams a limpid brook that is flanked by wild date trees.
一望无际的草原上，有一条清澈的小河，两旁长满了野生的枣树。
c)近义词：creek, rivulet, streamlet
Thank you for watching me to inspire, encourage, and accompany you.
See you next time.
想了解更多信息，请持续关注新浪微博（@桑国亚）或公众号《老桑说》（laosangshuo）
老桑说
John Smagula
点击阅读原文，了解更多老桑微博内容，欢迎关注进行互动。