After reading Chapter 14 or Ways of the World, it painted a picture in my mind of how it must have been seeing Christopher Columbus for the first time, inspecting the homeland. To see someone more civilized, someone dressed, seeing guns for the first time, tasting alcohol for the first time, hearing a different language for the first time.
I remember traveling to Italy for the first time, not knowing the language and also trying to make my way around. It was difficult! A simple smile was our way of communicating-- if you were open to smiles, this worked magic.. but it you were closed off and bitter, there was NO type of communication exchanged. I can only imagine the people from the mainland to be welcoming, with open arms and smiles. I believe the society that was here before us, was a laid back, simple society. A society that was giving and humble. The Europeans had a few things in mind, and non of those things consisted of giving or being humble. Maybe the Europeans should have learned more from the Native Americans.
This link between the Americas and Europe opened so many new things such as food, people, ways of living, views of life, morals and not to mention diseases. Small pox, measles, Typhus, influenza, malaria and yellow Fever... In many cases, up to 90% of the Native American population died within 50 years of Columbus' arrival.
Back when I was in Elementary School and every year around Thanksgiving time, the teachers would make such a big deal about Christopher Columbus and how he was such a hero and looked at as someone of high stature. They left out the part how he enslaved the native americans or killed them off with the diseases the Europeans carried. This idea of slavery always makes me question weather power over things, greediness and selfishness are just natural qualities. I say this because these traits are possessed in animals as well. The difference between us humans and animals, besides the obvious is that us humans have the power to communicate and understand right from wrong. We have the ability to choose weather to live in the 'right' or 'wrong' and to choose what is right or wrong in the first place. We have the power to shine light and understanding-- insight, information-- Truth.
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