Stories link us back to the past, and by sharing stories of the past, we can learn about our ancestors and what the world was like long before we existed. Learning about your past, the stories of your people, and the stories of others, can help you to understand who you are in the present. History shapes us all, and what is history, if not a series of stories? Our pasts and stories are part of who we are and will someday become. In the 16th century King Ferdinand of Spain sent his subjects overseas with the order, "Get gold, humanely if possible, but at all hazards, get gold." His words are still relevant today. Gold continues to be among the most costly commodities, but its extraction is notoriously harmful to human and natural communities alike. In fact only about seven percent of all gold bought worldwide annually finds its way into applications in science and medicine. The remainder is stored in bank safes and jewelry stores. So where did our obsession with gold begin? Arguably with the gold rushes which began hundreds of years ago. In this discussion we will look at the gold rushes throughout history and how they led us to where we are today in terms of gold mining and how unsustainable the practice has come in the 21st Century. Bonus for You included as downloads inside every book: