Thinking of the Problem of Freshwater (i.e. the problem ranging from too little to overwhelming amounts of water safe for drinking and irrigation) as "a Hydra to be slain" - see blog post titled: The Problem of Safe Water - The Lernaean Hydra - can point us in the direction of a solution.
Heracles' Slaying of the Lernaean Hydra
After attempting to kill the Hydra with arrows and clubs, Heracles is said to have begun to chop off its heads.
Each chopping off, of course, produced two replacement heads to Heracles' dismay.
Upon reflection, Heracles is reputed to have focused on the single vulnerability of the Hydra: It was vulnerable only if it had one single remaining head. Removal of the last head would definitely kill it.
So how to stop heads from multiplying? Heracles did what we are so familiar with: He sought out individuals (Greek gods, of course, as this is a story from Greek mythology) who might have the knowledge to stop heads from growing back.
Seeking One with Special Knowledge
As the story goes, Heracles' sought out Lolaus, his nephew, who delivered the idea to cauterize each neck stump right after Heracles' chopped off each head.
Obviously, Lolaus had enough knowledge himself about using a firebrand to scorch each remaining neck stump or knew where to get it.
Eventually, with Heracles cutting off each head and Lolaus cauterizing the stump, the Hydra was soon down in heads to its last head. This too got cut off by a golden sword in Heracles' hands.
For those of us that miss the Lernaean Hydra, the serpent can be found in the night sky as the Constellation Hydra where Hera, placed the biologically dead Hydra.
The moral from Heracles' and the Lernaean Hydra
Seek out someone with the special or specific knowledge that can help get the task done. Even when the task involves renewable heads?
This is the lesson that humanity could stand behind for over 200 years and one that H.G.Wells so famously enumerated in his book titled "Outline of History" and a lesson that helped humanity overcome the problem of freshwater time and time again through the ages.
Heracles' Slaying of the Lernaean Hydra
 |
| Heracles' Slaying the Hydra Source - wikipedia.org |
Each chopping off, of course, produced two replacement heads to Heracles' dismay.
Upon reflection, Heracles is reputed to have focused on the single vulnerability of the Hydra: It was vulnerable only if it had one single remaining head. Removal of the last head would definitely kill it.
So how to stop heads from multiplying? Heracles did what we are so familiar with: He sought out individuals (Greek gods, of course, as this is a story from Greek mythology) who might have the knowledge to stop heads from growing back.
 |
| Heracles and Lolaus Slay the Hydra Source - wikipedia.org |
Seeking One with Special Knowledge
As the story goes, Heracles' sought out Lolaus, his nephew, who delivered the idea to cauterize each neck stump right after Heracles' chopped off each head.
Obviously, Lolaus had enough knowledge himself about using a firebrand to scorch each remaining neck stump or knew where to get it.
 |
| Constellation Hydra Source - urnich.edu |
For those of us that miss the Lernaean Hydra, the serpent can be found in the night sky as the Constellation Hydra where Hera, placed the biologically dead Hydra.
The moral from Heracles' and the Lernaean Hydra
Seek out someone with the special or specific knowledge that can help get the task done. Even when the task involves renewable heads?
This is the lesson that humanity could stand behind for over 200 years and one that H.G.Wells so famously enumerated in his book titled "Outline of History" and a lesson that helped humanity overcome the problem of freshwater time and time again through the ages.
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