In the December 21 & 22 entry of Christopher Columbus’ journal, we read about his voyage and his meetings with the Native Americans. I believe the theme of his journal reflects the kindness he was shown by the Indians. Columbus wrote that the Indians gave whatever they had to give and there was a benevolent spirit among them. The Indians believed the voyagers were sent from heaven and this could have been the reason they bestowed their belongings so freely. The voyagers thought the same about the Indians because of their kindness and unrestricted generosity.
A phrase that stood out to me was, “no one could believe that there could be such good-hearted people, so free to give, anxious to let the Christians have all they wanted, and, when visitors arrived, running to bring everything to them.” The reason this captured me was if such were to happen today, we would respond in the same way as the voyagers, with disbelief. The people were so warm and friendly, yet it didn’t make sense to the voyagers nor does it sometimes to us.
This phrase caused me to consider just where we as a people have strayed from a sense of kindness and goodwill. According to the movie “Give a Damn,” people in our society believe “it’s cool to talk about the poor but not to talk to the poor.” This strikes me as crazy. It seems to me that the greatest joy one can experience is found in giving; however, as a nation, and even as a world, we have lost sight of this concept. The idea of giving, in my opinion, shouldn’t be limited to material things as one can offer time, friendship, etc.
The modern parallels I recognize with this journal entry include the happiness and contentment of the Indian people. Today, I might relate this to the people of Africa. Let’s consider ourselves as the voyagers who have everything - technology, education, wealth, etc. Conversely, the Africans have little to nothing but continue to find greater joy in life. We, like the voyagers, believe it our job to help them, and this is oftentimes true; however, we at times miss what we could learn from them. In saying this, I believe we can learn from the past (Columbus’ journal) and possibly gain a good outcome.
In regards to our classroom text, I see a correlation to the reformation led by Martin Luther. Luther, as we know, went against the peasants when they demanded more rights. It seems to me that we have missed crucial moments to succeed in making the right choices due to neglect and even a disregard for human life. Culture forms us into people who continue to pass this belief on to future generations with, seemingly, no hope for change. Such will be the case until we, as individuals, become more educated on such subjects.
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