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(Washington D.C. – April 11, 2024)
What can we learn from water?
And what insights can be gleaned about the emotionally intelligent future of our great nation?
These were questions I pondered in preparation for my conversation with Brenda Mallory, the 12th Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).
Earlier this week, the President unveiled his “Investing in America” plan, aimed in part at improving the drinking water for millions of Americans nationwide. To delve deeper into the specifics, I reached out to Chair Mallory’s office for a one-on-one discussion, which she graciously granted. Just before our scheduled time, she was called unexpectedly into a special session, a circumstance completely understandable given her leadership position.
This led me to reflect on the history of the vital nature of water and how society has long celebrated the virtues of running water.
For example, civilization has often been defined by certain milestones, with running water being one of the most significant.
Furthermore, millennia ago, in the fertile crescent, the people of Mesopotamia were among the first to introduce irrigation to their lands, due to their discovery of the benefits of running water.
Since archaic times, a common phrase symbolizing success was “a cup that runneth over,” indicating that success was due to an action that started in the past and continued flowing, like water, into the present..
One of the reasons that the Ancient Romans were considered advanced for their time due to their sophisticated system of running water funneled through aquifers. Their use of gravity and physics to enable water to flow uphill was remarkable.
During the Industrial Revolution, running water became a major source of energy, and today, hydroelectricity remains one of the purest forms of sustainable energy, harnessing the currents of naturally flowing water to meet our energy needs.
In our current era, many developing countries are labeled as ‘emerging’ as they strive to provide running water replete with plumbing systems, pumps, and potable water.
How fascinating it is then, that in 2024, as the global leader of progress, technology, and advancement, we find ourselves in need of improving the very essence of our life-giving flow.
Running water is very symbolic
of Emotional Intelligence
(and where we are as a Nation)
in many ways:
- Running water connects us, as does Emotional Intelligence.
- Running water marks a major sign of progress for a society, as does improved Emotional Intelligence.
- Running water has purpose when it is being utilized, as does increased Emotional Intelligence.
- The more running water available, the stronger the society, and the more it can grow — the same can be true for the impact of increasing Emotional Intelligence.
So, as we follow President Biden and Chair Brenda Mallory into a more free-flowing, life-giving future, let’s allow it to mirror our growth on the interior as an Emotionally Intelligent Nation.
My name is Rodney C. Burris. I am the White House Correspondent for BMORENews, a media outlet in Baltimore where our slogan is, “the news before the news.” This column will look at the events impacting our nation and filter them through the lens of Emotional Intelligence theory. Our goal will be to inform, to make aware, to facilitate connectivity, and then to increase the overall understanding of ourselves as a collective as we take a deep dive into the topics affecting our Emotionally Intelligent Nation.
