Throughout all of history water and culture have been incredibly interlinked. Since the beginning of settled life, humans have almost always recognized that settling by a body of clean usable water is necessary. Over time this need began to give birth to a deep respect for rivers, lakes and streams. Because water is such a critical element of life it was worshipped and appreciated for thousands of years by almost all cultures of the past. It has been a source of power and inspiration for thousands of years. The influence of this inspiration, worship and respect of water can be seen in art, language, religion, and, in many cases, the core values of entire cultures. But there has always been and will always be a delicate balance between the way humans use water and the way a society functions. (Kley & Reijerkerk) (Klaver, “Placing Water and Culture”, 2012)
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The idea that humans could work with nature and let the harmony which it possesses influence the way we live was lost when it came to this grand river. The desire to control led to a “growth at any cost” syndrome and the once “Most Holy Trinity” became an eyesore with no use unless it was turned into something unnatural and grey. It was not until centuries after the settlement of the land that the “burgeoning environmentalist movement of the 1960s and 1970s led to a renewed interest in reconnecting with nature, heightening awareness of the Trinity’s sorry state.” (Klaver & Frith) Finally people began to see the astonishing benefits that come with a natural body of water. While straightening and bullying would turn the river into a moneymaking, industry-harvesting machine, restoring it to the natural beauty that it once held will nourish a vastly healthier society both physically and socially. This prospect of restoration turned the “forgotten river [into] Dallas’s … best hope. “ (Klaver &
The idea that humans could work with nature and let the harmony which it possesses influence the way we live was lost when it came to this grand river. The desire to control led to a “growth at any cost” syndrome and the once “Most Holy Trinity” became an eyesore with no use unless it was turned into something unnatural and grey. It was not until centuries after the settlement of the land that the “burgeoning environmentalist movement of the 1960s and 1970s led to a renewed interest in reconnecting with nature, heightening awareness of the Trinity’s sorry state.” (Klaver & Frith) Finally people began to see the astonishing benefits that come with a natural body of water. While straightening and bullying would turn the river into a moneymaking, industry-harvesting machine, restoring it to the natural beauty that it once held will nourish a vastly healthier society both physically and socially. This prospect of restoration turned the “forgotten river [into] Dallas’s … best hope. “ (Klaver &