The Wisdom of Water: The Secret Softness That Passes Through Every Hardness
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By Dr. Pooyan Ghamari
Water is the softest phenomenon in the world, yet nothing can withstand it.
This apparent paradox has occupied the minds of philosophers, mystics, and metaphysical writers for centuries.
In the wisdom of water, the secret of human resilience is revealed—humanity which, if rightly understood, can be soft and unbreakable at the same time.
The Qur’an, describing the force that animates the universe, says:
“And We made from water every living thing.”
Life begins with water;
and within this very sentence lies a profound truth:
every power that creates endurance begins with softness, not violence.
The Torah also states:
“The Spirit of God moved upon the waters,”
a phrase indicating that water was the first surface of creation—
a surface capable of forming, adapting, and receiving.
The Gospel regards water as a symbol of purity and transformation,
reminding us that what brings the spirit to life is not rigidity but flow.
This perspective is deeply rooted in Iranian culture as well.
Khayyam says:
“The cloud came and once again wept over the green,”
meaning that life returns after hardship—
just like water, which carves a new path through stone
and is stopped by nothing.
Shams Tabrizi saw water as the sign of the awakened human:
water that does not fight yet triumphs,
does not strike yet builds,
does not harden yet breaks through hardness.
Pythagoras viewed the world through the harmony of numbers
and considered water the most harmonious element of nature,
for whatever vessel you place it in, it takes its shape
without losing its own essence.
This is the secret of the powerful human—
flexibility without forgetting one’s core.
Eastern philosophy teaches:
no force is as formidable as calm water,
because its strength comes not from impact but from persistence and continuity.
In metaphysics, too, water symbolizes psychic energy, flow, adaptability, and endurance.
It teaches us that a person breaks only when they become rigid,
and gains power only when they remain flowing.
If water were hard, it would shatter.
If it were stubborn, it would stay in one place and rot.
But because it is soft,
it passes through mountains,
builds cities,
becomes the sea,
becomes the cloud,
becomes the rain,
and begins life anew.
Water teaches humanity that true power lies in softness—
in acceptance and movement,
in changing form without losing identity,
in passing through the hardest obstacles
without shouting, without violence.
And this is the very model an awakened human must follow:
not rigidity,
not breaking,
not wearing away,
but flowing.
For in the end,
it is water that remains,
and the mountain that erodes.
This is the secret of water—
and truly, the secret of the human being
who wishes to be both soft and unbreakable.
