The Weight of Falling Water

In the study of fluid dynamics, there is a concept known as the terminal velocity of a raindrop. It is the point at which the resistance of the air finally matches the pull of the earth, and the drop stops accelerating, finding a steady, inevitable pace. We often mistake this for a lack of effort, as if the water has given up its struggle against the sky. But it is actually a form of surrender to the inevitable. We spend so much of our own lives fighting the gravity of our circumstances, bracing ourselves against the descent, fearing the moment we might lose our footing. We forget that the fall is not an end, but a transition. To move from the height of the mountain to the stillness of the pool below is to change one’s state entirely. Is there a greater peace than finally letting go of the resistance and allowing the current to take you where it has always intended you to go?

Amit K Sharma has captured this quiet surrender in his image titled Sunset at Bhairav Kund. It reminds me that even the most dramatic descent eventually finds a place to rest. Does the water feel the change in the air as it nears the bottom?