If Cayman struck gold, I am quite sure our officials would find some good way of getting rid of it. Experts would come in and tell them it is fools gold and make a fortune from it and get paid in the process.

But that is beside the point; our society would change forever. Gold does have the benefit of being able to corrupt people. In the great California Gold Rush it profoundly changed the political and cultural landscape and had a huge impact on the society in the region.

One thing I am sure of, it would be a very historic moment for the Cayman Islands. We are really not rich in any type of minerals and it would be a great asset to our country; that is, if we would be wise enough and learn to use it properly. Would the money from this rich gold find reach the poorer Caymanians? Only time would tell.

Finding gold would have the potential to get our schools finished, add that new wing to the hospital, assist the elderly, improve our universities and provide cultural centres and numerous development improvements if it was managed properly. Besides its monetary and symbolic values, it could be used as an investment.

It would also create great wealth within the Cayman Islands but also exclude many others as well. I have never heard of anywhere that gold has been struck that the morals of that country rose beyond the wealth it had acquired. This country is very small. The population would increase dramatically overnight with prospectors, investors, wanna-get-rich-quick onlookers and let’s not forget thieves, robbers and scammers would come along with the good.

What about the harmful impact it would have on the environment? Land must be destroyed for mining, chemicals could leak into the environment and air pollution would be a concern. But then again as the world becomes more modernised with newer technology the impact would not be as damaging as it was years ago.

What is gold anyway? Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow colour and lustre traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Gold has been a valuable and highly sought-aft er precious metal for coinage, jewellery, and other arts since long before the beginning of recorded history. Besides its widespread monetary and symbolic functions, gold has many practical uses in dentistry, electronics and other fields, states the Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia.