While I stood in line at the grocery store, the gentleman in front of me put his bottled water on the conveyor and asked, “Remember when water was free?” He was probably just looking for a simple nod, but I took the opportunity to explain that in reality, water has never been free. I noted that wars have been fought over the availability of clean water for thousands of years. Based on his expression, I realized his question had been rhetorical, and I quickly changed the subject. But this short dialogue reveals that people really do think water is free,
