Sprouts Wings

I happened upon a History Channel piece on the economic collapse of 1929. It piqued my interest in light of current events. It featured the story of a particular luxury liner making its way across the Atlantic with wealthy passengers bound for the States.

This compelling quote captures the gist: "They left England as wealthy men and arrived in the United States penniless."

In the space of a very short time - one day, the fortunes of many changed. Of those mentioned, most never recovered and a photo showing wide, empty eyes, depicted a man who shot himself to death minutes after the picture was taken.

We are admonished to not be deceived by wealth:

Pr. 23.4 Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.