Matt Damon reveals how a 13-year-old girl's reply to a simple question changed his whole perspective

Access to clean water is something many people take for granted, but the reality is far more alarming. Matt Damon, who has spent years advocating for clean drinking water, realized something similar during a trip to Haiti, where he had a conversation that left a lasting impact on him. While visiting a small village, he met a 13-year-old girl whose daily life had been transformed by a new water system. He later shared this experience during an interview with HuffPost Live, where he reflected on how the encounter shifted his understanding of what access to clean water really meant.

"We were in Haiti a couple of years ago and we christened this new water system in this little village. I talked to this little girl, she was 13 and… my oldest was 13 at the time, so I was really interested to talk to her," Damon said. He asked the girl, "How much time were you spending every day collecting water? And she said 'three hours.'" He was taken aback by the number. "I said wow, 'three hours a day. So like, what are you going to do now? You're going to have more time for homework?'"

But her answer wasn’t what he expected. "I don't need more time for homework," she told him. "I'm the smartest kid in my class," Damon recalled how confident she sounded. "She said it in that great way where I knew she actually was the smartest kid in class," he said. He further asked her what she was going to do with all that time and she responded, "I'm going to play." That moment hit him hard. "It was like, it was devastating, you know, but wonderful that this kid was going to have a better quality of life. But really also kind of drives home the point that there are hundreds of millions of children for whom that's not an option, and they're just scavenging for water with all the time that they have here on Earth," he said.

The girl's response resonated with a lot of viewers who watched the interview. @tinahuston995 shared, "That's great. Play is an important part of learning for all of us. Doesn't matter your age. It was healthy for this girl that she learned to carry water, too. Many of us here in the states are exceptionally spoiled and we let ourselves become complacent to the world around us... meaning our environment, politics, food supply and a host of other issues." @BuGGyBoBerl added, "That girl is amazing. We all are like, 'Hey, you get more free time, how do you use it (meaningful)? Do you work more?' Not using it for work or similar things means it's wasted somehow. That's really sad. People seem to forget what we all work for. A better and happier life."

@danielwarren7110 wrote, "The sad reality is 'play' is usually the first thing sacrificed no matter the country, 'I need to work harder for my kids' sacrifice play with the kids, 'I have more responsibility' sacrifice play, 'I am an adult now' sacrifice play... and in emerging market countries/developing nations 'need to get water.' Parents know education is important and want a better life for their children so again play is sacrificed."