Water Calling Forth
Ping Mo
(A freelancer who likes to explore the relationship between religion and culture)
With the clouds above and the sea below, human space is surrounded and confined by water. Even the interior of the human body is saturated with life-giving liquid. It not only permeates the physical world but also penetrates the spiritual realm. Poets find it natural to start their lyrical lines with waterscapes. The fickleness of water gives rise to the sentiment of helplessness and restlessness. Man cannot resist the confrontation of his insignificance and evasiveness when facing the vast expanse of water together with its rolling billows.
Over generations of cultural sediment, water has been endowed with ethnic significance and often serves as a symbol reflecting a people group's understanding of the meaning of their existence. In the long-standing Chinese cultural context, for instance, water has served as the image of the Dao carrying the high values of flexibility, modesty, broad-mindedness, calmness, and wisdom in the Dao De Jing. In the 8th chapter, it is stated, "Highest good is like water. Because water excels in benefiting the myriad creatures without contending with them and settles where none would like to be, it comes close to the [Dao]." Chapter 78 states, "In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong, nothing can surpass it. This is because there is nothing that can take its place." In the "Autumn Floods" chapter of Zhuangzi, the all-encompassing characteristic of water is employed to encode the highest mental state of man beyond comprehension of lowly creatures. Hence, Jo as the North Sea personified states, "You can't discuss the ocean with a well frog—he's limited by the space he lives in. You can't discuss ice with a summer insect—he's bound to a single season."
In the context of the Near East—that is, the historical context of the theme of this exhibition—water is endowed with a meaning different from what the Chinese culture offers. As far as the Babylonian creation myth is concerned, the gods came out of the water and fought against monsters in the water; hence, water became a symbol of chaos in the early legends of Mesopotamia. In the Hebrew Bible, water has inherited a similar meaning but with a twist. In accordance with the Near Eastern culture, water was introduced as the symbol of chaos and emptiness present in the beginning of the book of Genesis as a primordial state of creation. Like a wild horse, it represents disorder, confusion, void, and nonsense. Yet it was subdued by the Creator; hence, the sea was set with boundaries and rivers ran on their paved tracks. As a result, the earth became a habitable place with water nourishing the ground and sustaining life. Water is no longer a wild animal struggling against the Creator but a tamed pet at its master's service. Later when the life-saving ark was constructed, water was summoned to cross its boundaries, releasing its inherent nature to serve its master for the destruction of mankind due to the saturated evil in the latter's heart. Thus, it stands as an utter contrast to the originally good human nature. As water turned from unruly emptiness to lively vitality in obedience to the Creator, it would ultimately become a symbol of salvation in the New Testament. Man, on the other hand, charged from the original goodness to the uncontrolled wildness, resulting in the wrath of the Creator and self-destruction.
Fortunately, this is not the end of the story, because the water that can capsize the boat also becomes the fountain that carries the boat. The ark floats on water, carrying the hope and opportunity for the regeneration of mankind. This makes one wonder: how did the frantic water receive domestication without losing its basic instinct, and even become the instrument of renewed life? What kind of new life might burst out of the originally good and humble nature of man which turned wild and untamed? What kind of intricate storyline can one anticipate between the two?
Near Eastern culture seeks reconciliation in the struggle with the sea while the ancient Chinese look for their ethnic identity through the temperament of water in lakes and seas. The juxtaposition of the two brings forth both tension and creative energy. As if invited to an exquisite banquet, we look forward to the exhibition for inspiration on an enlightened search for the sacredness and meaning of life!