Worth

Often called “the world’s richest” shipwreck, Spanish naval galleon San José carried up to 200 tons of gold, silver, and uncut gemstones – whose value is estimated up to $20 billion – when it sank off the coast of contemporary Colombia in 1708 during a battle with British warships.

A number of parties – from a U.S.-based salvage company (claiming to have found the wreck in 1982), to Colombia (saying the wreck was found at a different location in 2015), to Spain (arguing they still own the ship), to indigenous Bolivians (noting how their ancestors were forced to mine much of the silver) – have battled in court over their right to claim the wreck.

The fate of the sunken treasure is currently uncertain – some artifacts have been recovered; most lie on the seafloor.

Some things remain valuable (at times invaluable) throughout our life, while others – which may have at some point held great personal importance – are best left at the bottom of our inner seabed. Optimism helps us discern and distribute value to what can help us flourish (17.54).