2022-10-20_The_Man_Who_Desired_Gold
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00:00:30.300 | Bonsir, the chariot builder of Babylon, was thoroughly discouraged.
00:00:36.300 | From his seat upon the low wall surrounding his property, he gazed sadly at his simple home
00:00:43.300 | and the open workshop in which stood a partially completed chariot.
00:00:48.300 | His wife frequently appeared at the open door.
00:00:51.300 | Her furtive glances in his direction reminded him that the meal bag was almost empty
00:00:57.300 | and he should be at work finishing the chariot, hammering and hewing, polishing and painting,
00:01:02.300 | stretching taut the leather over the wheel rims, preparing it for delivery
00:01:07.300 | so he could collect from his wealthy customer.
00:01:10.300 | Nevertheless, his fat, muscular body sat stolidly upon the wall.
00:01:16.300 | His slow mind was struggling patiently with a problem for which he could find no answer.
00:01:22.300 | The hot, tropical sun, so typical of this valley of the Euphrates, beat down upon him mercilessly.
00:01:30.300 | Beads of perspiration formed upon his brow and trickled down unnoticed
00:01:36.300 | to lose themselves in the hairy jungle on his chest.
00:01:39.300 | Beyond his home towered the high terraced walls surrounding the king's palace.
00:01:45.300 | Nearby, cleaving the blue heavens, was the painted tower of the temple of Bel.
00:01:51.300 | In the shadow of such grandeur was his simple home and many others far less neat and well cared for.
00:01:59.300 | Babylon was like this, a mixture of grandeur and squalor,
00:02:04.300 | of dazzling wealth and direst poverty,
00:02:08.300 | crowded together without plan or system within the protecting walls of the city.
00:02:13.300 | Behind him, had he cared to turn and look,
00:02:17.300 | the noisy chariots of the rich jostled and crowded aside the sandaled tradesmen
00:02:22.300 | as well as the barefooted beggars.
00:02:24.300 | Even the rich were forced to turn into the gutters to clear the way
00:02:28.300 | for the long lines of slave water carriers on the "king's business,"
00:02:33.300 | each burying a heavy goatskin of water to be poured upon the hanging gardens.
00:02:38.300 | Bonsir was too engrossed in his own problem to hear or heed the confused hubbub of the busy city.
00:02:45.300 | It was the unexpected twanging of the strings from a familiar lyre that aroused him from his reverie.
00:02:53.300 | He turned and looked into the sensitive, smiling face of his best friend, Cobi the musician.
00:03:00.300 | "May the gods bless thee with great liberality, my good friend," began Cobi with an elaborate salute.
00:03:07.300 | "Yet it does appear they have already been so generous thou needest not to labor.
00:03:12.300 | I rejoice with thee in thy good fortune. More I would even share it with thee.
00:03:17.300 | Pray from thy purse, which must be bulging, else thou wouldst be busy and yawn shop,
00:03:22.300 | extract but two humble shekels, and lend them to me until after the nobleman's feast this night.
00:03:29.300 | Thou wilt not miss them, ere they are returned."
00:03:32.300 | "If I did have two shekels," Bonsir responded gloomily, "to no one could I lend them,
00:03:38.300 | not even to you, my best of friends, for they would be my fortune, my entire fortune.
00:03:44.300 | No one lends his entire fortune, not even to his best friend."
00:03:49.300 | "What!" exclaimed Cobi with genuine surprise. "Thou hast not one shekel in thy purse,
00:03:55.300 | yet sit like a statue upon a wall? Why not complete that chariot?
00:04:00.300 | How else canst thou provide for thy noble appetite? 'Tis not like thee, my friend.
00:04:05.300 | Where is thy endless energy? Doth something distress thee? Have the gods brought to thee troubles?"
00:04:12.300 | "A torment from the gods it must be," Bonsir agreed. "It began with a dream, a senseless dream,
00:04:19.300 | in which I thought I was a man of means. From my belt hung a handsome purse, heavy with coins.
00:04:25.300 | There were shekels which I cast with careless freedom to the beggars. There were pieces of silver,
00:04:30.300 | with which I did buy finery for my wife, and whatever I did desire for myself.
00:04:35.300 | There were pieces of gold which made me feel assured of the future and unafraid to spend the silver.
00:04:41.300 | A glorious feeling of contentment was within me. You would not have known me for thy hard-working friend,
00:04:48.300 | nor wouldst have known my wife, so free from wrinkles was her face and shining with happiness.
00:04:53.300 | She was again the smiling maiden of our early married days."
00:04:58.300 | "A pleasant dream indeed," commented Cobby. "But why should such pleasant feelings, as it aroused,
00:05:04.300 | turn thee into a glum statue upon the wall?"
00:05:08.300 | "Why, indeed, because when I awoke and remembered how empty was my purse, a feeling of rebellion swept over me.
00:05:16.300 | Let us talk it over together, for, as the sailors do say, we ride in the same boat, we two.
00:05:22.300 | As youngsters we went together to the priests to learn wisdom. As young men we shared each other's pleasures.
00:05:29.300 | As grown men we have always been close friends. We have been contented subjects of our kind.
00:05:35.300 | We have been satisfied to work long hours and spend our earnings freely.
00:05:39.300 | We have earned much coin in the years that have passed.
00:05:43.300 | Yet, to know the joys that come from wealth, we must dream about them.
00:05:48.300 | Bah! Are we more than dumb sheep? We live in the richest city in all the world.
00:05:54.300 | The travelers do say none equals it in wealth. About us is much display of wealth, but of it we ourselves have not."
00:06:03.300 | "After half a lifetime of hard labor, thou, my best of friends, hast an empty purse, and sayest to me,
00:06:09.300 | 'May I borrow such a trifle as two shekels until after the nobleman's feast this night?'
00:06:14.300 | Then what do I reply? Do I say, 'Here is my purse, its contents will I gladly share?'
00:06:20.300 | No, I admit that my purse is as empty as thine. What is the matter?
00:06:25.300 | Why cannot we acquire silver and gold, more than enough for food and robes?
00:06:31.300 | Consider also our sons,'" Bonsire continued, "are they not following in the footsteps of their fathers?
00:06:38.300 | Need they and their families and their sons and their sons' families live all their lives in the midst of such treasurers of gold,
00:06:45.300 | and yet, like us, be content to banquet upon sour goat's milk and porridge?"
00:06:51.300 | "Never in all the years of our friendship didst thou talk like this before, Bonsire."
00:06:56.300 | Cobi was puzzled. "Never in all those years did I think like this before.
00:07:01.300 | From early dawn until darkness stopped me, I have labored to build the finest chariots any man could make.
00:07:07.300 | Soft-heartedly hoping someday the gods would recognize my worthy deeds and bestow upon me great prosperity.
00:07:14.300 | This they have never done. At last I realize this they will never do.
00:07:20.300 | Therefore my heart is sad. I wish to be a man of means.
00:07:25.300 | I wish to own lands and cattle, to have fine robes and coins in my purse.
00:07:30.300 | I am willing to work for these things with all the strength in my back,
00:07:35.300 | with all the skill in my hands, with all the cunning in my mind,
00:07:39.300 | but I wish my labors to be fairly rewarded.
00:07:42.300 | What is the matter with us?
00:07:44.300 | Again I ask you, why cannot we have our just share of the good things so plentiful
00:07:51.300 | for those who have the gold with which to buy them?"
00:07:54.300 | "Would I know an answer," Cobi replied. "No better than thou am I satisfied.
00:08:01.300 | My earnings from my lyre are quickly gone. Often must I plan and scheme that my family be not hungry.
00:08:08.300 | Also within my breast is a deep longing for a lyre large enough that it may truly sing the strains of music
00:08:14.300 | that do surge through my mind. With such an instrument could I make music finer than even the king has heard before.
00:08:22.300 | Such a lyre thou shouldst have. No man in all Babylon could make it sing more sweetly,
00:08:28.300 | could make it sing so sweetly, not only the king but the gods themselves would be delighted.
00:08:34.300 | But how mayest thou secure it while we both of us are as poor as the king's slaves?
00:08:39.300 | Listen to the bell, here they come!"
00:08:42.300 | He pointed to the long column of half-naked, sweating water-bearers
00:08:47.300 | plodding laboriously up the narrow street from the river.
00:08:51.300 | Five abreast they marched, each bent under a heavy goatskin of water.
00:08:56.300 | "A fine figure of a man, he who doth lead them," Cobi indicated the wearer of the bell,
00:09:02.300 | "who marched in front without a load. A prominent man in his own country 'tis easy to see."
00:09:07.300 | "There are many good figures in the line," Bonsire agreed, "as good men as we.
00:09:12.300 | Tall, blond men from the north, laughing black men from the south,
00:09:17.300 | little brown men from the nearer countries, all marching together from the river to the gardens,
00:09:22.300 | back and forth, day after day, year after year.
00:09:28.300 | Nought of happiness to look forward to, beds of straw upon which to sleep,
00:09:33.300 | hard-grained porridge to eat. Pity the poor brutes, Cobi!"
00:09:37.300 | "Pity them I do, yet thou dost make me see how little better off are we,
00:09:42.300 | free men though we call ourselves."
00:09:45.300 | "That is truth, Cobi, unpleasant thought though it be.
00:09:49.300 | We do not wish to go on year after year living slavish lives,
00:09:53.300 | working, working, working, getting nowhere."
00:09:57.300 | "Might we not find out how others acquire gold and do as they do?" Cobi inquired.
00:10:02.300 | "Perhaps there is some secret we might learn if we but sought from those who knew,"
00:10:07.300 | replied Bonsire thoughtfully.
00:10:10.300 | "This very day," suggested Cobi, "I did pass our old friend Arkad riding in his golden chariot.
00:10:18.300 | This I will say, he did not look over my humble head as many in his station might consider his right.
00:10:23.300 | Instead he did wave his hand that all onlookers might see him pay greetings
00:10:28.300 | and bestow his smile of friendship upon Cobi the musician."
00:10:33.300 | "He is claimed to be the richest man in all Babylon," Bonsire mused.
00:10:38.300 | "So rich the king is said to seek his golden aid in affairs of the treasury," Cobi replied.
00:10:44.300 | "So rich," Bonsire interrupted, "I fear if I should meet him in the darkness of the night,
00:10:49.300 | I should lay my hands upon his fat wallet."
00:10:52.300 | "Nonsense," reproved Cobi. "A man's wealth is not in the purse he carries.
00:10:58.300 | A fat purse quickly empties if there be no golden stream to refill it.
00:11:03.300 | Arkad has an income that constantly keeps his purse full, no matter how liberally he spends."
00:11:10.300 | "Income, that is the thing," ejaculated Bonsire. "I wish an income that will keep flowing into my purse,
00:11:16.300 | whether I sit upon the wall or travel to far lands. Arkad must know how a man can make an income for himself.
00:11:23.300 | Dost suppose it is something he could make clear to a mind as slow as mine?"
00:11:28.300 | "Methinks he did teach his knowledge to his son, Nomasir," Cobi responded.
00:11:33.300 | "Did he not go to Nineveh? And so it is told that the inn become, without aid from his father,
00:11:38.300 | one of the richest men in that city?"
00:11:41.300 | "Cobi, thou bringest to me a rare thought," a new light gleamed in Bonsire's eyes.
00:11:48.300 | "It costs nothing to ask wise advice from a good friend, and Arkad was always that.
00:11:54.300 | Never mind though our purses be as empty as the falcon's nest of a year ago, let that not detain us.
00:12:00.300 | We are weary of being without gold in the midst of plenty. We wish to become men of means.
00:12:07.300 | Come, let us go to Arkad and ask how we also may acquire incomes for ourselves."
00:12:13.300 | "Thou speakest with true inspiration, Bonsire. Thou bringest to my mind a new understanding.
00:12:19.300 | Thou makest me to realize the reason why we have never found any measure of wealth.
00:12:25.300 | We have never sought it.
00:12:27.300 | Thou hast labored patiently to build the staunchest chariots in Babylon.
00:12:32.300 | To that purpose was devoted your best endeavors. Therefore, at it, thou didst succeed.
00:12:38.300 | I strove to become a skillful lyre-player, and at it I did succeed.
00:12:44.300 | In those things toward which we exerted our best endeavors, we succeeded.
00:12:49.300 | The gods were content to let us continue thus.
00:12:52.300 | Now at last we see a light, bright like that from the rising sun.
00:12:57.300 | It biddeth us to learn more that we may prosper more.
00:13:00.300 | With a new understanding we shall find honorable ways to accomplish our desires."
00:13:05.300 | "Let us go to Arkad this very day," Bonsire urged.
00:13:09.300 | "Also, let us ask other friends of our boyhood days,
00:13:12.300 | who have fared no better than ourselves, to join us, that they too may share in his wisdom."
00:13:18.300 | "Thou wert ever thus thoughtful of thy friends, Bonsire.
00:13:21.300 | Therefore hast thou many friends. It shall be as thou sayest.
00:13:26.300 | We go this day and take them with us."
00:13:30.300 | With Kroger Brand products from Ralphs, you can make all your favorite things this holiday season.
00:13:35.300 | Because Kroger Brand's proven quality products come at exceptionally low prices.
00:13:40.300 | And with a money-back quality guarantee, every dish is sure to be a favorite.
00:13:45.300 | "These are a few of my favorite things."
00:13:48.300 | Whether you shop delivery, pickup, or in-store, Kroger Brand has all your favorite things.
00:13:55.300 | Ralphs. Fresh for Everyone.
00:13:57.300 | [MUSIC PLAYING]