Rain, while sometimes inconvenient, sustains us

Graphic by Sam Bai

A rain cloud smacking somebody with a fist.

Rain is fundamental to everything we do, so next time you think about complaining about the weather, put a little respect on its name.

Because the atmospheric river season has sometimes seemed never ending this year, it’s common to overhear grumbling about the weather in the hallways and classrooms. But these complaints are overblown and show a deep lack of understanding.

Simply put, we need rain — and lots of it. Every inch of precipitation helps California escape from a long-sustained drought.

To state what should be obvious, almost every living process, no matter how small, requires water. We use nearly 101.5 gallons of it for everyday tasks: making your breakfast, coffee, cleaning the dishes, taking a shower and so much more. Though the rain might seem like an inconvenience, it provides us with much of the water that we take for granted.

Rain feeds the plants. Around the semi-rural city of Saratoga (a Tree City USA), we can see hundreds of grasses, bushes and trees in just a 5-minute drive. All of these plants grow using water. How else do you expect the world’s crop industry to run and supply you with the lovely fruits, and vegetables — especially the avocados — that you know and love? Rain is a requirement to run the world’s food supply.

Humans need the water that comes from rain to sustain life. Whenever you look at your car on a long drive and see the forests and greenery, do not forget that was made possible by rain falling from the sky. Not only that, but rain is what creates the dramatic landscapes that we see on your MacBook screensaver.

Regardless of the great effects of rain on your life, it does little good to complain about something so fundamentally out of your control. If you cannot change it, or at least attempt to change it, then you simply have no right to be complaining about it.

When you are complaining about the rain, we all know you are not really complaining about the rain but are simply projecting your harsh feelings for other things. We wish you well on your journey of acceptance of the weather and hope you will begin to talk about the seedy underbelly of your true emotions.