"In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." Many of us were taught this little ditty as children in honor of Christopher Columbus’ history-changing voyage to the Western Hemisphere. While his legacy has taken a beating, Columbus’ contribution to modern society cannot be overlooked.
Columbus lived in a time when Europe was ablaze in new discoveries and brilliant new creations of philosophy, art and other aspects of culture known as the Renaissance.
This was a time when brave men and women defied laws, preconceived norms and stagnation of he past, very often risking their lives in the process, to expand their knowledge of the world.
Though he didn’t "discover" the Americas, he introduced this part of the world to Europe, much to the detriment of indigenous populations and to the benefit of the Old World and, ultimately, to the benefit of modern society.
Columbus was truly a man of his time, using violence and intimidation to subdue and enslave the peoples he met during his journeys in the New World.
His view of "might is right" had been accepted throughout the world since the dawn of mankind. To attach this to him to define him as nothing but a destroyer and plunderer is to prop up weak arguments.
Columbus’ discoveries paved the way for more European explorers to follow and treat the indigenous populations to their own slice of downfall.
Unfortunately, some civilizations’ cultures, religions and languages were lost forever. This should never be glossed over, but, yet again, it is a lamentable sign of those times and of time before. This is a regrettable part of Columbus’ legacy.
To see the positive aspects of Columbus’ legacy, one must only look to the United States, a land where all races, religions and cultures can thrive, grow and live in relative peace and tranquility.
This is what we have to thank him for – not perfection, but an ambitious experiment in the evolution toward societal unity.
Let’s all make peace with Christopher Columbus and continue to work together to bring justice and harmony to the world.
