By Douglas V. Gibbs
Columbus Day has transformed from an American Holiday celebrating discovery, to a politically charged day attacked by the Left with ridiculous accusations and elements of false revisionist history. Either, Columbus was a barbaric sadist, or he was an explorer that landed on the shores of America. Either a notorious figure of history, or a man with a great legacy.
God uses the ordinary, as he did with Christopher Columbus. The explorer began his life in poverty, but loved geography and sailing as he matured. Based on Scripture's record of a spherical earth, Columbus spread his belief that sailing westward could reveal a route to India.
The Spanish Royalty believed him.
Sailing west, Columbus used his excellent navigation skills to courageously explore an unknown sea. He discovered a place unknown to the civilized world, despite the stories of demons in the seas, and an edge of the world that could swallow the ship whole or dump the explorers over the edge into nothingness. Columbus faced the dragons, and battled the obstacles, realizing his dreams that the earth is truly a sphere.
Despite his great accomplishments, Christopher Columbus never amassed the fortune he sought. He died in poverty only 15 years after his discovery. Columbus, however, never sailed west to India. He thought the New World was India.
Despite the attacks of the Left, it turns out that Columbus was not a murderous, slave-trading monster that mercilessly destroyed the peaceful paradise of the Caribbean.
In fact, despite the belief that Columbus began an avalanche of brutality against the New World, it turns out that brutality already existed in those lands, and it was Columbus and his fellow explorers that ultimately brought civilized order to the New World.
Columbus is celebrated not necessarily for his discovery, but for his spirit of exploration, and the willingness to journey into the unknown. Christopher Columbus was willing to take a risk. He was willing to follow his dreams, and beliefs. He was willing to do what it took to be an achiever. Columbus was everything America would become. Sure, Columbus was a flawed man as well as any human, and some of the stories of his exploitations have elements of truth. But though he was not a purely righteous man, he was not a notorious, murderous tyrant either. He was a man with both negative and positive traits. He was an achiever. He was a courageous explorer that was willing to do more than the average bloke. He deserves our thanks.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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