The Significance Of Christopher Columbus On Columbus Day
Judy Ramsook
October 10, 2005
As more knowledge becomes available to mankind concerning the world around us, the more we become aware of certain things.
For example, now we know that millions of years ago dinosaurs may have walked the earth, and when it comes to the matter of Christopher Columbus, well, some persons in our midst will wish to embark on a heated debate about a certain issue.
An issue like whether or not he really did ‘discover’ the New World. But has anyone ever thought about what the world would have been like had Columbus not set certain things in motion.
For example, say if slavery were not an issue and people from parts of Africa and the East had not been compelled to end up in the Western world, would some if not most of us be here or where we are today, or would we have been in some other society living a totally different life?
If one pauses to ponder for a moment or two, he/she would realise that, yes, his/her life could have been quite different from the one he/she is currently living in a land thousands of miles away from where he/she could have been. Providing of course, that he/she had been given a chance at life.
For if one’s ancestors had stayed where they were in certain parts of Africa or the East, minus the slavery migration bit, maybe, his/her parents would not have known each other, let alone have had an opportunity for a chance encounter.
And if those individuals who came to the West as slaves had not been thrown into a situation in which they would have to work alongside one another they would not have known of each other’s existence.
So if they had not known of each other’s existence prior to their plight, whether or not those persons happened to come from the same country, they would not have met, fallen in love and ultimately married thus bearing children.
Children who became known to us as great, great and grand parents who ultimately bore their own offsprings who are or were some of our parents, thus bringing forth newer generations with their own kids and their children’s kids and so on.
In my view, slavery is wrong, and whether or not Christopher Columbus discovered the New World, something which set in place a string of events and actions, some of us are happy to be where we are as opposed to not having a chance to be anywhere at all.
For example, now we know that millions of years ago dinosaurs may have walked the earth, and when it comes to the matter of Christopher Columbus, well, some persons in our midst will wish to embark on a heated debate about a certain issue.
An issue like whether or not he really did ‘discover’ the New World. But has anyone ever thought about what the world would have been like had Columbus not set certain things in motion.
For example, say if slavery were not an issue and people from parts of Africa and the East had not been compelled to end up in the Western world, would some if not most of us be here or where we are today, or would we have been in some other society living a totally different life?
If one pauses to ponder for a moment or two, he/she would realise that, yes, his/her life could have been quite different from the one he/she is currently living in a land thousands of miles away from where he/she could have been. Providing of course, that he/she had been given a chance at life.
For if one’s ancestors had stayed where they were in certain parts of Africa or the East, minus the slavery migration bit, maybe, his/her parents would not have known each other, let alone have had an opportunity for a chance encounter.
And if those individuals who came to the West as slaves had not been thrown into a situation in which they would have to work alongside one another they would not have known of each other’s existence.
So if they had not known of each other’s existence prior to their plight, whether or not those persons happened to come from the same country, they would not have met, fallen in love and ultimately married thus bearing children.
Children who became known to us as great, great and grand parents who ultimately bore their own offsprings who are or were some of our parents, thus bringing forth newer generations with their own kids and their children’s kids and so on.
In my view, slavery is wrong, and whether or not Christopher Columbus discovered the New World, something which set in place a string of events and actions, some of us are happy to be where we are as opposed to not having a chance to be anywhere at all.
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