Why does water seek its own level?

[xTheLuckySe7en]

I was looking online for some solution to my question, and they varied from explaining it using potential energy to pressure equalization between the floor of the liquid between the bases. I still cannot seem to find my groove with this one. Tackling the pressure explanation, someone said that the pressure on the bottom should be the same. I thought of a swimming pool example with varying depths. How does the water still find its own level in the swimming pool example even though the water pressure at the bottom of each section is clearly different?

 

[Nidum]

Draw a diagram of two identical tanks connected by a pipe at the lowest level . Put a stop valve in the pipe . Show the level of liquid in one tank as being much higher than the level of liquid in the other one .

With the stop valve closed is the pressure at the bottom of the tank with the higher liquid level greater than , the same as or less than the pressure at the bottom of the tank with the lower liquid level ?