Monday, February 24, 2014

The Fool And His Gold

This story is based in fact and is a powerful though sad illustration of spending your life looking for the wrong thing.

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THE FOOL AND HIS GOLD

Many years ago Ian Ramunson arrived in San Francisco in a sailing ship.  He had sailed the long treacherous voyage from Europe to follow the lure of wealth in the California gold rush.

Ian set out and vainly searched the hills and mountains for gold.  He dug in the hills until his hands blistered, and panned in the rivers until his back ached.  He moved from one place to another following the rumors of a rich vein of gold.  After some months he wandered across the arid lowlands of Death Valley, a hot dry desert where many perished from heat and thirst.

At last, his hopes were realized.  There in a sandy ravine he found a vein of gold.  Excitedly he began to mine it, digging from dawn to after dark with his pick ax.  Ian built a little shack at the bottom of the ravine to store it in.

The lust for wealth filled Ian's mind and blinded him to the dangers of Death Valley.  As piles of gold grew on the floor of the shack so also the food and water supplies dwindled.  By the time the prospector realized his situation it was too late- there was not enough food or water for the trip out of the valley.

The Minor's Journal
His remains lay in the shack in the desert for over a hundred years until hikers found the cabin. Next to the bones lay the miner's pick. On the rough table, they found a pocket watch and a journal with the words, "I am satisfied. I die rich."  All around the dried bones of Ian Ramunson were piles of mica, a worthless mineral called fool's gold because it shines like gold.

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"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy and thieves do not break in and steal" Matthew 6:19-20

(C) Adron Dozat