Two groups of builders set out to create their cities, each guided by different values. One group chose to build on a foundation of solid stone, unyielding and true. They took their time, laying each block with care, knowing that what they built must endure. Homes were sturdy, roads were straight, and markets thrived. The city stood firm, weathering storms and the passing of time. The people lived in peace, confident that what they created would serve not just themselves, but their children, and their children’s children.

The second group sought a quicker path. They built their city on a foundation of sand and clay, believing it to be easier and faster. At first, the city rose with astonishing speed—towers reached toward the sky, and the markets buzzed with activity. But soon, the ground beneath began to shift. Rather than rebuild on firmer ground, the builders adapted, constructing ever more elaborate structures to accommodate the shifting landscape.

These builders grew wealthy, not by creating lasting works, but by responding to the constant changes in the ground beneath them. Crooked streets and unstable towers became the norm, as resources flowed toward patching up what could never truly stand firm. Entire industries emerged, not to strengthen the city, but to prop it up, drawing wealth and attention away from the real needs of the people. The city flourished in appearance but grew fragile beneath its surface, as its foundation continued to erode.

Then came a great storm. The first city, with its strong foundation, stood unmoved, its markets still thriving and its people secure. The second city, built on unstable ground, fell into ruin. Towers toppled, homes collapsed, and the people were left with nothing but the hollow shell of what they had once believed to be progress.

The builders of the second city saw the ruin and realized too late: “A city built on shifting ground can never last, no matter how fast it rises or how grand it seems."

For in the first city, the lesson was known well,

and they taught it to all who would listen:

Build on what endures, not what pleases the moment.

The foundation is the soul of what you create—

if it is strong, all else will stand.

Do not chase the quick reward,

for true wealth is born of patience, of stone laid upon stone.

What is built on truth will weather any storm,

but what rises on lies and misplaced faith will always fall.

Honor the ground beneath you, and the work will live on.

And so it is with money. Sound money, like a foundation of stone, allows societies to build with confidence, knowing their efforts will endure. But money that erodes over time, like sand beneath their feet, draws wealth into fleeting pursuits, enriching those who prop up what cannot stand. A system built on weak money will always crumble, while a society rooted in sound money will stand strong, generation after generation.