The Black Plague or Money?

Would you rather have the Black Plague or piles and piles of gold?

Gold please, right? Well, if you're like anyone in Lubeck, Germany in 1347 you'd pass on both. At the time, the Black Plague was ripping through Europe killing over 30% of the population... That's a huge number by the way. Compare that stat to the Second World War, which lasted about the same length of time as the Black Plague and is the single deadliest conflict the world has ever seen.

During WWII, less than 5% of the European population died from both battle and genocide.

So imagine this horrible scenario, 30% of the people around you have died from an invisible plague. Who do you turn to?

Well the broken citizens in Lubeck, Germany (Not knowing that the plague is being caused by fleas traveling on the backs of rats.) decided that maybe this plague would halt if they were to appease God's wrath. They gathered up huge amounts of gold, jewelry, money, and riches then took them to the local churches and monasteries as an offering. The monks inside one of the monasteries were so fearful of catching the plague that they locked the citizens, their own followers, outside of their gates!

Soon, a large, desperate crowd grew outside the monastery gates and began throwing their coins, jewels, gold, and money over the walls - but the monks threw it all back! This continued for hours. Throwing riches back and forth over the walls until the monks finally gave in and let the valuables remain in their monastery. After the incident, piles of riches 3 to 4 feet high sat untouched for years.

Moral of the story? When you strip away all the excess, unnecessary complications of life and view it in the simplest form, as the people of Lubeck were forced - Would you rather continue on living your life as it is today or risk your life by hoarding the treasure in a Lubeck monastery?

If your life isn't fulfilling maybe the rare metals sound like a good gamble.

I'm not saying everyone should be a Transcendentalist, reject technology and modern economics, then move to Walden Pond by any means - I love capitalism, the free market, and advancing civilization. BUT to combat having a boring life, I've built the company Warrior West Projects (www.warriorwest.com) to encourage travel and 'experiencing' life in a true sense.

If you're into extreme sports such as this recent Warrior West Projects Dirt Bike Outing on the Red River:



And if you prefer bird watching over driving dirt bikes through flooded rivers we just want to spend time doing things you're passionate about with the important people in your life.

Collin West
Warrior West Projects