At Fort Knox
in Kentucky, there are vast reserves of gold. This gold has potential
value, but as long as it's buried inside Fort Knox, it has no
practical use, especially since the United States -- and most
of the rest of the world -- went off the gold standard.
Some day the
gold in Fort Knox may be exhumed and put to use and lots of folks
may benefit. But in the meantime, it just sits there.
Many of us are
the same way.
Because the fact
is that there's great wealth buried in the hearts and minds and
souls of every one of us. It may be buried in personality traits
that have never been developed. It may lie in a special talent
that has never been cultivated or a curiosity that's never been
given room to discover itself. It may be a capacity for kindness,
sympathy, or unselfish devotion to others that's gotten rusty
from disuse.
We all have vast
stores of gold buried inside ourselves. Many of us will die without
having experienced or having shown the rest of the world the
real riches hidden within us.
It's a shame,
and doubly so because we all know that the old saying about misers
is true. You really can't take it with you!
Gold is worthless
when it's not put to use.