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By: SCOTT HILL
24th District Kansas Senator
I like Christopher Columbus. While Columbus Day is a Federal Holiday, much like its namesake, there is a mixed response to celebrating it. Some businesses are closed, but most are open. Federal offices are closed, but right now that is pretty much every day for Federal offices. Columbus, like his holiday, received mixed reviews while alive and still 500 plus years later. Even though Columbus has detractors he also exhibited characteristics that we would do well to emulate.
Born in 1451 to a working-class family, Christopher had three brothers and a sister. One of the characteristics that young Christopher had was a desire for adventure. His curiosity about the world would serve him well throughout his life. We may not have a new world to find, but we should always be curious about our world and have a sense of adventure to make it better.
Columbus was mainly self-educated and had a good understanding of geometry, astronomy, history, and geography. One untrue myth is that he came up with the concept that the earth is round. Actually, most scholars had known the spherical nature of the earth for hundreds of years. What was not known was exactly how large the earth was. Columbus actually made a serious error in his calculations of the distance to India going to the west from Europe. He believed it to only be about 25% of the actual distance. If he had calculated correctly the impossibility of sailing that far would have prevented him from even trying. This brings out a second truism about Columbus. Always keep learning, and even when you make mistakes, you can learn even more from them.
Christopher’s life experiences also prepared him for the epic trip that he would make when he was in his forties. He started sailing commercially from his early teenage years, and had traveled as far north as Great Britain and as far south as Africa. Possessing a sharp mind, he had learned at least four languages which served him well as he traveled. Even more important to Columbus was his persistence. He went from court to court in Europe selling his idea of a route to India to the West. All but one of the monarchies in Europe rejected him. The one monarchy that listened to him, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, eventually capitulated to giving him ships to sail. If he was successful, they agreed to give him the title of “Admiral of the Ocean Sea.”
Had it not been for Columbus’s persistence, it may have been another hundred years or more before the continent, known as America, was discovered.
Perhaps the most distinguishing character trait Columbus had was courage. In a world that seems to be afraid of practically everything, the courage of Christopher Columbus alone should make him worthy of a holiday in his honor. The thought of getting on a tiny boat with limited provisions with the goal of sailing thousands of miles would be daunting to most of us.
Adding to this scenario is the fact that the primary means of navigation was looking at the stars. Finally, the fact that he had no idea where they were actually headed would deter even the bravest individuals. Columbus may have benefited from not knowing how unlikely his success would be. While ignorance may have contributed to his bravery, we should still copy the courage he had to go where no one had ever gone before. I hope when you think of Columbus Day that you will remember curiosity, love of learning, persistence, and courage. These are traits that will serve us as well as they did Christopher Columbus over 500 years ago.
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