Discovering Columbus and a New World

In discovering the New World Columbus didn’t discover what he was looking for, namely India. He is like most of us who have to face the reality that our… deeds bear little resemblance to his [our] intentions. History is often the chronicle of unintended consequences.   In this essay we want to draw metaphorical parallels between Columbus the explorer and all of humanity searching for a “New World.” His first voyage is still the world’s most powerful metaphor of discovery, and of the courage and conviction that discovery requires.  

We also want to examine the controversy between Native Americans who are offended by Columbus Day celebrations and Italian Americans who see Columbus’ accomplishments as a source of Italian American pride. And finally, we want to do all of this while being mindful that the worldview of the indigenous peoples, Columbus, and contemporary Americans is the key to the understanding of human behavior then and now.

Let’s start with the worldview of the “Indians” of the New World. No Indian saw himself guided by an omnipotent being; rather, he sought to merge himself with a life force that permeated all animate and inanimate objects.  The people living with the Pre-Columbian worldview worshipped and revered the forces of nature and sought to maintain balance and harmony between humans and supernatural beings. From our modern perspective we could say that they projected their shadows onto natural objects (stones) and processes (rain). Its most abhorrent manifestation was using human sacrifice to appease the anger of the gods. By the time Columbus arrived this worldview had been evolving for some 12,000 years. On the other hand, the Spanish worldview of Columbus’ time involved worshipping a single deity, championing the victory of good over evil, and viewing everyone who was not a Catholic as being under the influence of Satan.

Columbus was driven by his ego, his false-self, and his discoveries were the result of his yearning for gold, glory and god (forgiveness and salvation). From the more profound perspective of P-A Columbus’ voyage can be a metaphor for the universal yearning on the part of humanity for a “New World.” Humanity must enter a new age of discovery with the intention of finding the answers to the Three Great Questions. “Where are we?” was a question that crossed the minds of Columbus and his crew a few times. Next, could have been the second Great Question, “Who are we?” The question that entered the minds of Columbus, his crew and the Native Americans was not who are we but who are they? Identity was a key factor in how the representatives of two different cultures were to interact. It wasn’t pretty.

And finally number three: “Why are we here?” The answer to this question helps explain human behavior so it is important that we answer it in such a manner that we encourage wholesome and sustainable behavior. In 1492 and in today’s world, humanity still cannot answer that question or the first two in a profound way. Why not?

We cannot address any of the problems we face in the world today effectively because we are unaware of why these problems exist. For example, historians in explaining the motivation of explorers such as Columbus in the so-called Age of Discovery, invoke the three G’s. Columbus was driven by God, Gold and Glory. Explorers following Columbus often brought priests along on the voyages to engage in the conversion of the Native Americans.

Glory was obtained by being recognized by the sponsoring monarchs at home who could grant fame by bestowing honors, titles and riches upon favored explorers. “Glory …a man is obsessed with his own success as an entrepreneur…[who] pressed relentlessly for a lion’s share of profits from his ventures… [and] was very much concerned with the perpetuation of noble titles in his family.”  

And finally the adventurers and their followers were hoping for riches in whatever form that would take including Gold. Columbus found all three beyond his wildest imaginings. Gold enough to make Spain the western world’s greatest superpower and Columbus, for a time at least, a rich man; Glory and the grandiose title “Admiral of the Ocean Sea” bestowed upon him by his sponsors Ferdinand and Isabella; and there was also fertile soil for God (the Church) with tens of thousands of souls ripe for harvest.

Satisfying the need to serve the church by saving heathen souls (God) stems from the unconscious motivation of the sensation energy center of the false self which is searching for affection and esteem to fulfill false self emotional needs. Seeking personal riches (Gold), one is driven by the security center; and seeking fame and recognition (Glory) is an expression of the power and control energy center. These were the real motivations that drove Columbus—motivations that everyone in his day and this are still subject to. Before we take a morally superior stance vis-à-vis Columbus we would each do well to become conscious of why we behave the way we do today.  Columbus has become a convenient scapegoat for our own projections.

The debate (2005) that raged around Columbus Day celebrations in Denver revealed the lack of awareness of why people behave the way that they do. Even John Hickenlooper, the normally mild-mannered mayor of Denver got caught up in the emotional heat being generated around the controversy between AIM (American Indian Movement) and the Sons of Italy. “I am sick and tired of this costly, frustrating and potentially dangerous situation that does nothing but generate ill will.”    

Perhaps we could defuse the emotion-laden conflicts if we acknowledge the lack of awareness (unconsciousness) that all human beings share and the inevitable consequences. Instead of looking for heroes or villains, which are only projections upon one another, perhaps we can instead arrive at a more compassionate understanding and unite in what we all have in common—unconscious reactions driving an unsustainable lifestyle that amplifies human suffering.

Columbus is neither villain nor hero, nor are any of us, and it’s time that we take responsibility for the present and our future and admit that Columbus was a normal human being with feet of clay—a person virtually identical to you and I in his basic conditioned behavior. He lived in a more primitive version of P-B but essentially the same context and with the same identity as you and me. If we can begin doing that, then we have a good chance of discovering a new world, a world with less conflict, a world that we can create by making healthier choices.

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References and notes are available for this article.
For a much more in-depth discussion on Simple Reality, read Simple Reality: The Key to Serenity and Survival, by Roy Charles Henry, published in 2011.