The Illusionary Value of Gold

Poor is the man who can boast of nothing more that gold.  -William Scott Downey, Proverbs Ch 1, #11 (1858) In the article, The Shared Delusion of Money, I discussed some of the delusions surrounding the “value” of money. The other day I overheard someone talking about how they wanted gold and diamonds for the…

All That Lives Must Die

Thou know’st ’tis common; all that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternity. Hamlet,  Act I, scene 2 Death. Americans in the last part of the 20th century feared it more than anything (and we Americans are a very scared group of people). We fight it and hide from it and send all thoughts…