Those who have undying love for me titillate themselves with glowing visions of wealth and happiness. But alas, even after some have amassed a great store of me they find, sadly, that I have not brought the real happiness they had imagined, so the suicide rate among them is staggering. Reams have been written to show that I am not the panacea that people have expected me to be.

The world over, people put their trust in me. To gain me, they thought, would be the cure-all for their problems. In the end I proved to be nothing of the kind. I am but a piece of paper or a few metal coins. I am only worth what I can buy. When my buying power is gone, then I am worthless. I am reminded of what a wise king, Solomon by name, once said: “Your money can be gone in a flash, as if it had grown wings and flown away like an eagle.” (Proverbs 23:5, Today’s English Version) How ironic it is that the eagle, with wings outstretched ready for flight, is printed on me, the American dollar. Could it be saying, in its own mute way, ‘Beware, you who chase after me! I will fly away.’