What is your gold in life? A question that you should ask yourself while watching King of California, starring Michael Douglas in a brilliant performance. Charlie (Douglas) believes that there is treasure buried in a California location. He makes it his mission to find the gold. So what does the treasure mean to Charlie? It can represent many things; 2 of which are Opportunity and Catastrophe, to quote the film.

For most people, the most obvious representation of the treasure is opportunity. Charlie hoped to give Miranda, his daughter, the chance to live life without financial restraints. Also, to give her hope that she can become a success like her father. Charlie also wanted to accomplish a truly great deed in his life, and a major goal like finding treasure would do it.

What about catastrophe? How can gold represent catastrophe? Yes, it is money, which can lead to evil, but what about the journey before obtaining your personal treasure? Charlie had spent some time in a mental institution, and his life hadn’t been going well. On his quest to find the gold, he was faced with catastrophe multiple times. This included the deep financial woes, the instability of the relationship with his daughter, and Charlies inability to express his thoughts/intentions. All dreams bring opportunity, but we must face catastrophe along the way.

Are you willing to face catastrophe for the sake of your dreams? Ultimately, you are the only one who can set and achieve your dreams. No matter how unrealistic a dream may be, (hey, finding treasure is pretty unrealistic too) it will have its advantages and disadvantages. Whether it is worth it to pursue the goal is up to you. So look for the gold in your life!

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