Still Waters lead to a Stagnant Life!

Stagnant pond with algae bloom.

Being surrounded by marsh and swamp I know all about stagnant water.  So it baffles me when people are nostalgic about the silly expression, "still waters run deep".  First, still waters don't run anywhere.  Secondly, most of the time still water is shallow.  The biggest issue is still or stagnant waters are a breeding ground for bacteria, algae, and mosquitoes.  Mosquitoes carry diseases such as Malaria and West Nile virus.  Also, stagnant water loses it's oxygenation ability.  Without oxygen in the water marine animals die.  This is why at your local park the man made lake has a sprinkler or some other aeration device.  The bottom line is water is a life giving source but if left stagnant it can become diseased and deadly.


Same concepts apply to our lives.  If we become complacent or trapped in one location we often develop serious problems.  Sitting still is one of the most obvious issues of our society.  Without sufficient movement we become overweight and develop serious health problems.  The list of diseases from obesity are far to many for me to list.  Just keep in mind that all those diseases stem from stagnation.  We also have problems when we don't venture outside of our homes.  Staying inside the four walls of your home means that sun light will never contact your skin.  This means no natural Vitamin D, which helps prevent many diseases.  Also, without being exposed to the natural pollen in your neighborhood, you are more likely to develop allergies and other breathing issues.  If your only source of information everyday is the TV, then you are only using a select part of your brain and the rest is wasting away.  If you want a healthy brain it is best to expose yourself to many different sources of information.  Such as reading, talking, listening to speeches, internet searches, and good old fashion trips to the library.  Then there's the concept of exposing yourself to different people. Yes, yes I know, there are weirdos out there but you do need to have some sort of live social input in your life.  It can't all be FB and Tweets!  Getting to know other people gives you a perspective into your own life. You need something to compare your lifestyle against.  This is also good for your language ability.  If you only talk to ten people in this world then you are likely to develop bad language habits that are acceptable to those people.  The classic example is when little Johnny shows up on the first day of kindergarten and still talks baby lingo because that's all he needed to learn at his house.  Without other sources of input your vocabulary is very limited.

Meet new people.

So the question is are you stagnant?  Do you get out of the house?  Do you make new friends?  The best thing for your life and health is to be in constant movement.  Let your waters flow over land and stream.  Pour yourself out into everyone you meet and your life will flow for generations to come.  Life is about flowing not staying inside four walls.  You have some unique insight or talent in this life.  What good is that talent if it sits stagnant in your living room?  Even if you can avoid the diseases that come with stagnation, what would be said about you when they bury you?  Here lies a man that kept his abilities and talents to himself his whole life? Grow, flow, pour, and experience this life to it's fullest and you won't have to worry about all the problems stagnation can bring to your life.

Have a flowing Day!