What's the Big Deal with Gold?

Why do we love it so much?

It has only had a practical use just recently in our World, but has been popular since as far back as we historicaly know.

Maybe Alien's implanted a desire for Gold in our head's thousand's of year's ago.

That way we would mine it for them and stack it up nice and neat.
Then they return and just load it up.

Not sure why they would need it either.

What's the deal, why do we love gold so much?

Its shiny.

Thats how it became so popular. Now its one of the oldest forms of currency.

Originally posted by earth2
Why do we love it so much?

It has only had a practical use just recently in our World, but has been popular since as far back as we historicaly know.

Maybe Alien's implanted a desire for Gold in our head's thousand's of year's ago.

That way we would mine it for them and stack it up nice and neat.
Then they return and just load it up.

Not sure why they would need it either.

What's the deal, why do we love gold so much?

I've wondered this myself. Sure it's used in jewelery, and it looks nice, but why do they put it up in reserves like a treasure. Money is backed by gold right? Buy why? What's really so special about it, and why do the ones who have the most have the power? I guess we could make the same argument about diamonds, I don't know. I'm just thinking like this...Take away the desire for gold etc. and why is it so sought after? What else do we use it for besides jewelry and reserve? Does the ones with the most gold get special technology/knowlege/favor? Are the streets of heaven paved with gold? I don't know, but I would like to hear all the different takes on why it's guarded and so sought after. Good thread

reply to post by jd140


Lead is shiny also.

So is copper.

No I dont think it was because it was shiny, there are other thing's even more shiny than Gold.

Easy to work within a low tech way, non reactive, plentiful enough to be a commodity but not so much that the value drops. And yes, it's shiny.

I've always wondered this too. I dont wear jewelry and could care less about gold yet it affects my life everyday. obviously platinum is worth more. I think because its more rare. but neither are one of a kind like a Van Gogh. of course it could be argued that its a capitalist thing to keep us down, and in a marxist utopia, goods and services would be repaid with such.

Gold is rare, first of all. That doesn't give it any value, but it is important.

Gold is shiny. Not only that, it *stays* shiny. It doesn't tarnish like silver, doesn't rust like iron, doesn't get green like copper.

Gold is found in metallic form. It doesn't need to be smelted from ore. If you go to the right places, you find it lying around. Because of this property of remaining apart from its environment, gold was seen as a royal metal. It could be alloyed with some metals (e.g. silver or mercury), but in general it kept to itself.

So you have its noble, "royal" nature of being kind of snobby. Plus you've got its purity - its remaining shiny and untarnished. Makes it seem kind of special. Plus, you don't just find it everywhere like quartz.

i think i read something about people using mass amounts of it and purifying it down to an digestible form. then they would take this stuff and it would somehow find its way into there third eye, which would cause flashes and other things. or maybe it was something about people being immune from radiation or meh.... im sure somebody knows what i am talking about

The reason gold is valued is historical. In the distant past, when man did not have a means of communicating over long distances by voice, he would stand before a crowd and declare his power. To convey his power, he would attempt to look like the shining Sun, as in those days people often worshiped the sun. Gold was an effective reflector, which did not tarnish. By not corrupting, gold also represented an eternal nature of the ruler.

Gold was used effectively in the Ark of the Covenant to convey the eternal nature of God. That gold came from the spoils of Egypt, which was also a country worshiping the Sun, hence use of gold.

Anyway, it represents the Sun, became a sign of power, then currency.

[edit on 17-8-2009 by Jim Scott]

anti radioactive properties for one, they probably mine this planet so they can use the stuff for advanced propulsion engines... im probably not far off

Originally posted by badgerprints
Easy to work within a low tech way, non reactive, plentiful enough to be a commodity but not so much that the value drops. And yes, it's shiny.

That's exactly right. And all of these reasons have been known for a loooong time. Not just recently.

Its easy to manipulate, easy to determine purity, somewhat rare, shiny as someone already said aswell as the SECOND oldest form of currency, the oldest is claytablets, writtings on leaves etc.

Also, our currency isnt backed by gold, and havent been for many years, its just numbers today

electro-conductive nature may be part of the inherent value.

en.wikipedia.org...

I've heard (not sure where) that if there is an alien connection - it is that gold is important in motors for space-flight. Not rocket-motors but rather anti-gravity motors that require a lot of electrical flow.

In terms of "value" - it is whatever the culture places value in. We trade something - and if we represent one currency with another and a base-currency is gold (or oil or sheets of aluminum foil) then gold makes sense since it is rare, malleable and easily minted into coins, bars and traded without too much "loss" (imaging trading water - you spill it everywhere). Gold coins were known to be culturally traded thousands of years ago. Those cultures have traded other metals and did - but gold stood out as a higher-value item.

I never got diamonds. They're rocks, shiney rocks, dug out from the earth and cut up into other shiney rocks. I guess culture places value on something and as we grow up, we learn from culture that this value is important and are supposed to support that further and teach our children that.

In some communities - a water-filter is far more valuable than gold or diamonds.

It was originally used to make weapons because of it's stability and reliability. Like someone said earlier, it doesn't rust, tarnish, or turn green. that's the reason why it became valuable. After it was replaced by other metals, I have no idea why it remained so.

Gold is the reason why we are enjoying Great Depression II.

Oh happy times!!

Somehow, someway their is a mystical connection between man and gold.
The same with some precious stones. Perhaps it is just an aesthetic link but I get a very different feeling when holding a Krugerand than a silver dollar and it's not just value.