Column: All that glitters is not gold

It has been a couple days and I’m still very upset over something I saw and heard and failed to do anything about.

But as I review the events, I keep asking myself what I really could have done to help – in fact, I think I probably would’ve just been like gasoline on a fire. Here’s the scenario:

I’m sitting in a local eatery waiting for my lunch. Directly next to me is a young couple. At my age, this could put them anywhere between 25 and 35. They seemed to be waiting like I was for their order. About five minutes later an older gentleman sat down with them. Given my age, I’d have to call him around 55 to 60. I then did what it seems like most people do these days with idle time – I pulled my phone out and started whatever random time suck application was closest to my finger.

Generally, I’m not a guy who eavesdrops, so I had virtually forgotten about the three next to me until I heard the older gentleman say to the girl “Your eyes are so magnificent today and could only have been created by God. You truly are filled with the spirit of the Lord.”

Now that caught my attention.

I don’t even say that to my wife, let alone a casual acquaintance. So naturally, I’m now intrigued about the trio to my right. I’m not Colombo, but from what I can gather, the elder statesman is an adviser of sorts to the other two. They start explaining to him that an educational program they are taking is not accredited. They seem to be worried that they are wasting time and a lot of money pursuing this particular opportunity.

My interest starts to fade until I hear the older man tell them not to worry. He had a dream recently. He dreamt of riches and when he woke up, he was literally covered in gold dust. After several washings, his bedsheets are still speckled in gold. He said he spoke with his spiritual adviser who told him that is a clear sign of prosperity gospel taking hold. He went on to tell them that he had increased his contributions to the “church” and has since found over $50,000 in newfound wealth.

He never did explain the source of this windfall. He then continued on and told the couple not to worry about accreditation, but to give even more to ensure their future wealth. The couple told him their money situation wasn’t good, especially given the cost of their program to which the adviser told them to have faith. If they needed to sell things in the short term to make long-term gains, all would work out.

My food came and for once, I wasn’t hungry. I was literally witnessing a shakedown, no different than if I were to have taken an old lady to lunch and tell her about a Nigerian insurance policy she could redeem by handing over a wad of cash. I really feel that if I had intervened, however, that it wouldn’t have changed a darn thing.

What do I say? You have a girl with God-like eyeballs mesmerized by a fanciful tale of gold dust and I’m an intruder into their world. Sadly, I know all about their world and the unaccredited organization. I’ve done a lot fingerpointing in that direction. All I’ll say is this type of thing isn’t uncommon in Fort Mill.

But, who can protect the innocent? It sure wasn’t me.

This story was originally published October 4, 2015 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Column: All that glitters is not gold."