There is a popular saying that “whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting”. It is usually attributed to the great writer, Mark Twain, but whoever actually said this could not have imagined just how intense that fighting would become as water gets scarcer.
Fighting over water is not new, it is as ancient as the presence of human beings on earth. Even in Buddha’s time people were possessive about natural resources. Osho tells us a story of how Gautam Buddha resolved the water dispute between the two kings.
Buddha was holding a camp by the side of a river and was surprised to see the armies of two kingdoms on either side of the river. The river served as a boundary between the two kingdoms and both had been fighting for generations over the river. The two kingdoms had not been able to decide — even though the river had turned red many times.
The generals of both the armies came to seek his guidance. By chance they entered his camp at the same time. They were shocked at this coincidence, but it was too late to beat a retreat.
Buddha said, “Don’t be worried; it is good that you have come together. You both are blind, your predecessors have been blind, too. The river goes on flowing, and you go on killing people. Can’t you see a simple fact: You both need water, and the river is big enough. There is no need to possess the river; and who can be the possessor? All the water is flowing into the ocean. Why can’t both of you use it? One side belongs to one kingdom, the other side belongs to the other kingdom — there is no problem. And there is no need even to draw a line in the middle of the river because lines cannot be drawn on water. And use the water; rather than fighting.”
The generals understood that their crops were dying because they had no one to take care of. Everyone was busy fighting. First they had to decide who possessed the river, only then could they water their fields. The stupid human mind thinks only in terms of possession. The man of insight thinks of utility. Buddha simply said, “Use it! And come to me again when you have used all the water. If there is still a problem, we will see what to do about it. But come to me again only when you have finished all the water.”
The warriors looked at each other. They felt trapped but they had no answer. They went back feeling like fools. We don’t know what the outcome was, whether they saw their folly and ended the war or they continued fighting. But the water is still flowing as abundantly, as compassionately as ever.
