Columbus.
I'm not really sure how I feel about Columbus. If I wasn't thinking about him too in depth and just making a round about assumption, I'd say I think he was a bit ridiculous and that his selfishness came back to bite him in the butt. But then again.... I've been going through this sort of phase where I try to have a little mercy and understanding for people's screw ups. In that light, I'd say Columbus was desperate for achievement and he was desperate enough to make a lot of mistakes and lose sight of many important things (assuming he even knew these "important things" to begin with).
Bartolome' De Las Casas
I liked reading what Las Casas wrote. When I read it I really sensed how grieved he was over everything, and also ashamed he was that he went along with the treatment of the Indians for as long as he did. He was upfront about his behavior though and I respect that. He didn't make himself out to be a self righteous saint. He confronted what was going on and fought it. Too bad he can't come back to life and do the same for this generation.
Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca
Out of all the readings for this weeks assignment, I enjoyed reading De Vaca's the most. He went through so much and struggled just to keep on living for such a long time, but he admits that he may be one of the people in the world who, for whatever reason, are not recognized for what they went through and what they accomplished. He states that at the beginning of his letter.
When I read about the Indians he encountered and lived with all I could think about was how much more pure and unified they seem than the people I run into at church, ha. Obviously there were things about them that were primal and inhumane, but geez just the way they helped out their neighbors and were so loyal to their families (especially children) was inspiring and shaming at the same time. I guess in SOME ways the Indians are what humanity should look like when it hasn't been broken down by hundreds of years of sin.
No comments:
Post a Comment