If you have read books on philosophy, especially eastern philosophy, like Bodhidharma, Lao Tzu and Zhuangzi (the guy who didn’t know whether he was a man dreaming of being a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming it was a man), you will have no doubt come across insights that have come about by observing water.
You might be familiar with Bruce Lee, in the famous black and white interview, saying, “Be water, my friend.”
That, now, is one of his most well-known quotes. And Bruce Lee did have an enlightening experience, whilst on a boat by himself. He punched the water with force, and he observed how the water took that force and became it.
The reason I bring this up, is because I had a similar experience the other day.
After doing several laps at my local swimming pool, I went into the spa and got massaged by power showers, and the likes of.
Within five minutes it was beginning to get a little crowded, so I headed over to the Jacuzzi.
But that was full of elderly people.
The only thing left for me to stew in was a small, square pool. And it was completely empty. It had obviously been empty for some time, because the surface of the water mirrored the ceiling with ingenius precision. It was utterly calm.
I soon found out why this pool was being rejected; it was freezing.
After finding my breath again, I sat down with the water up to my chin.
The surface had lost its sereneness now. But I was determined for it to retrieve it, so I sat as still as a rock.
And it worked. The water calmed down and regained its mirror-like reflection of the ceiling.
Time to experiment.
I began moving my feet as if I was on a bike. It doesn’t take a genius to know what happened… small waves were formed.
What I found interesting, though, was that the waves didn’t just affect the water in my vicinity, but in the whole pool.
I stopped and observed them. They reached the poolsides, and then began a return trip to their source – me.
How interesting!
I pounded the water with my fist and began kicking my legs violently. I looked like a child having a blast in the bath.
The water responded to my movements by mirroring them. Sharp-looking waves crashed over the sides, and returned to me in equal force, splashing my face.
Then I stopped, but the waves continued, and I couldn’t, for the life in me, resist being moved by them. No matter how hard I tried to remain still, the energy and the momentum in the water – energy I created by my actions – was moving me, forcing me to lose my balance.
The analogy is simple: Our actions create ripples in consciousness. Our actions, most often than not, stem from our thoughts and feelings.
What are you emitting that you do not want to experience?
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Gavin Whyte 
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