The Price of Water is Priceless

"If it’s free, the message is that it’s unlimited," writes Stephen J. Dubner.
(See http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/04/15/the-strange-economics-of-water-and-why-it-shouldnt-be-free-a-guest-post/)

And he does have a point, for we calculate the worth and value of things in terms of money. Money isn't unlimited, wherefore if something costs a lot, it must be worth a lot. It explains why we pay over 2,000 times more for bottled water than tap water. It's not the water we care about; it's the sign of privilege that we are looking for. Evian may spell naive when read backwards, but anyone who holds the bottle is given an almost automatic sense of importance. It may be false, but it doesn't bother the bottle holder. Hair dye is false too, but that never stopped Marilyn Monroe from becoming famous.

Should water be free? The Chairman of Nestle, Peter Brabeck, claims that water is simply a food stuff and should have a market value (See http://usilive.org/nestle-ceo-says-water-isnt-a-human-right-tell-him-hes-wrong/). Privatization of water would ensure fair distribution, says Mr. Brabeck. But will turning citizens into customers create social justice?

If water should be treated the way we treat food, would everyone get their fair share? We live in a world of plenty, yet a quarter of humanity goes hungry. How would slapping a price tag on water ensure fair distribution when we can't even share our food?

Although free usually gives the message that the supply is unlimited, when it comes to things that humans need to survive, the message is different: free water tells us that we all all equally important, that money isn't allowed to define our worth. Those who wish to privatize water can do so the day they figure out how to create water. Until then, water belongs to all of us.