The most important survival for humans is land, food and water - so why, when and how did we begin to worship money (paper) & gold?

Some humans. Not all.

Most Indigenous and early non Indigenous cultures had sophisticated bartering/trade systems that relied upon one on one interaction between people. When a standard unit value came into being, that's when the trouble started. The problem became even more exacerbated when a middle man decided he could become the medium between the two and - presto - the first banking system came to be. In a highly condensed nutshell.

I would think that godl became the standard because of it's relative rarity. Kings could afford to pay people to mine it whereas the average Joe could not waste time doing so. Also, gold is similar to the color of the sun and many early cultures worshipped the sun so, there is another possible connection.

I have also heard that there is a white powder that can be made from gold that is supposed to make you smarter and live longer but, now that one is from a far out there source.

Not sure if this is true, but for a time when gold was weighed it was always 12 ounces to the pound rather than the standard 16:1. Gold has another cool characteristic: aside for silver and copper, it's one of the very best metals in terms of its capacity to conduct electricity. I know people that work with sound such as musicians usually prefer gold tipped mic pins - far better sound. And on an esoteric note, the word "gold" also contains the word "God".

Uhh.... just in English, sweetie.

--Jaylemurph

In terms of importance and pop culture, English also rules the world - pumpkin.

You know, this is an international forum. You may just find opposition to that statement.

It certainly isn't true for the vast majority of esoterica.

--Jaylemurph

Being multicultural myself (I also speak fluent French and German) and having been raised in a military family (22nd Regiment), I can make that statement with absolute certainty and without apology. I don't think English will "rule the roost" for longer than another fifty or so years, but it certainly is right now. I can guarantee it.

Though I'm not sure how being in an American military family ipsa re gives perspective on that statement, I wasn't actively disagreeing with you (except the esoterica part).

--Jaylemurph

Actually Canadian, but that may change at some in the point. Canada seems ripe for a good old fashioned annexing.

My best friend is Canadian, so I'm going to forestall with the "Canada /has/ an army?" jokes. I now know /all/ about the exploits of the Canadian army.
But yeah, god knows, you may well be "liberated" any time.

--Jaylemurph

Because money makes the world go round

I think gold became important because, when early trading started gold was one of the few metals that could be easily found and made into jewelry. It can be melted easily and formed into objects that last practically forever. Humans seem to favor shiny objects also, so gold became a natural form of currency for trade. It was sought after (for jewelry), easy to work with and make into different sizes and since it turned out to be resonably rare it gained in value.

A common phase to indicate something is valuable is "Worth it's weight in gold."

Latter when currency was used more widely, wealth was attached to status in society, so to have gold was to have status. People in India still spend a good chunk of their income on gold, which (partly) indicates their family's status in society. And status equals power. Therefore...

Gold = Power

Golden Rule #2
"He who has the gold makes the rules."

Perhaps it's a substitute for meaning. Perhaps it's the building blocks of our society, probably a little of both.

Equally disgusting.

A-greed.

I would have used the word covet instead of worship, but I would say it is because it is a survival instinct to provide security for your family, and getting your hands on whatever it is that can provide that (gold, money, diamonds, etc) is built into our code. Just like animals looking for security in the wild by finding a good den or a supple feeding ground.