Land and Gold

I used to think about the Oregon Trail travelers and the 49ers without much if any criticism. There's a lot to admire in the Oregon Trail people - setting out on a 180 day journey, going 1,700 miles mostly on foot, anticipating hard work to establish homesteads in a somewhat wild land. Thinking about it recently, however, it seems like it was highly un-Christian to invade a land and establish lifestyles that clashed with those of the native Americans. They entered and took the upper hand - conversely, they should have only entered the land contingent on a welcome from the Indians. They should have led lives expressive of great gratitude to the Indians for allowing them to coinhabit the land. The Indians should have been viewed as the benefactors, the top dogs, the ones with the true rights to the land.

I enjoy the history of the Gold Rush era - the mining equipment, buildings, stories, etc. I realize that some men likely had upright, unselfish goals for improving their family situations. In spite of that, however, the whole Gold Rush basically revolved around money and wordly success (I mean, a job mining for [gold]). Our lives can be that way, too, but sometimes it's harder to see because the quest for money is hidden to some extent by the filler - the electrician job, the veterinary services, etc. The job is fine, earning money if fine - but we should take heed to the motives behind the job and money.
Interestingly, two motives for working may be diametrically opposed and yet yield esentially the same result. You could work hard for money's sake and prosper (and serve yourself), or you could strive to be industrious because you want to serve society and exercise discipline, etc, and also come out on top (giving God the praise, not being proud about it and using the money for the good of others).