Now just about everyone at some time in their lives does a little digging into the mountain and in doing so, occasionally one of these nuggets of gold are uncovered. A wise person recognizes it�s value and holds on to it, cherishing it and enriching his life with it. A foolish person discards it, seeing it as just some shiny rock. Also at times a chunk of iron pyrite or fool�s gold is uncovered. Again, the wise person will recognize it�s false promise of riches and reject it as worthless. But a fool will be dazzled by it�s glitter and shine and though worthless, he will cling to it with bitter determination.
Now most people, in the course of walking their mountain, come across the stream. Some come across it early in their journey, others later. While only a few never even walk the mountain or find the stream. Of those that find the stream, most find that it is refreshing and revitalizing and will stop for a while to drink of it or even bathe in it. Many of us have felt this stream wash our weariness away.
There are those who have found some of those nuggets of gold and wash them in the stream to better appreciate their luster. Seeing the result, a few realize that they can use this stream to wash away dirt from the mountain to uncover more of these valuable nuggets of gold. So they set themselves to work, bringing mass from the mountain and washing away the dirt and rock, leaving the heavier gold to be picked up. They are the truly wealthy ones. Not the ones who sit on the mountain and rarely move or the ones who avoid the life giving water or the ones who cling to the fool�s gold as if it were the most important thing to them. It is the man or woman who finds this stream and uses it wisely to wash away the debris to uncover the gold whose lives are filled with richness. And as these people look out into the vast range of all the many mountains, they see that over time, their own mountain may seem to be getting smaller. They may even wash away so much of the mountain that in the end all that is left is a beautiful and fertile valley with level ground to build a sturdy home and plant a garden.
Now to explain. The mountain can be seen as the trials of life. Each person�s experiences in their journey through life. The gold represents those nuggets of Truth which give much meaning to our lives. The chunks of fool�s gold are those false promises and self deceits and the stream is our own sense of spirituality or faith. The valley represents a life in harmony. One who has looked over their life�s experiences and learned the very valuable lessons that life has offered and has lived by the Truths and principles he has uncovered and developed.
Life is an ongoing struggle or endeavor and we each have to decide how to proceed with our own mountain. So I encourage all to pick up their shovels and find the gold. We each reap our own rewards and I wish everyone happy prospecting.
~FIN
