Columbus Day Celebrates Western Civilization
|
Op-Ed Contributor
Published on 06 October 2008 Comments (Be the first)
by Thomas A. Bowden
(OfficialWire)
IRVING, CA
OfficialWire PR News Bureau
|
|
|
|
 On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered the New
World, opening a sea route to vast uncharted territories that
awaited the spread of Western civilization. Centuries later, the
ensuing cultural migration culminated in the birth and explosive
growth of the greatest nation in history: the United States of
America.
It is fitting that we have set aside a day to honor the Great
Explorer. On one level, Columbus Day honors the man himself for
his many virtues. Columbus was a man of independent mind, who
steadfastly pursued his bold plan for a westward voyage to the
Indies despite powerful opposition--a man of courage, who set
sail upon a trackless ocean with no assurance that he would ever
reach land--a man of pride, who sought recognition and reward
for his achievements.
We need not evade or excuse Columbus's flaws--his religious
zealotry, his enslavement and oppression of natives--to
recognize that he made history by finding new territory for a
civilization that would soon show mankind how to overcome the
age-old scourges of slavery, war, and forced religious
conversion.
Thus, the deeper meaning of Columbus Day is to celebrate the
rational core of Western civilization, which flourished in the
New World like a pot-bound plant liberated from its confining
shell, demonstrating to the world what greatness is possible to
man at his best.
On Columbus Day, we celebrate the civilization whose
philosophers and mathematicians, men such as Aristotle,
Archimedes, and Euclid, displaced otherworldly mysticism by
discovering the laws of logic and mathematical relationships,
demonstrating to mankind that reality is a single realm
accessible to human understanding.
On Columbus Day, we celebrate the civilization whose scientists,
men such as Galileo, Newton, Darwin, and Einstein, banished
primitive superstitions by discovering natural laws through the
scientific method, demonstrating to mankind that the universe is
both knowable and predictable.
On Columbus Day, we celebrate the civilization whose political
geniuses, men such as John Locke and the Founding Fathers,
defined the principles by which bloody tribal warfare, religious
strife, and, ultimately, slavery could be eradicated by
constitutional republics devoted to protecting life, liberty,
property, and the selfish pursuit of individual happiness.
On Columbus Day, we celebrate the civilization whose
entrepreneurs, men such as Rockefeller, Ford, and Gates,
transformed an inhospitable wilderness populated by frightened
savages into a wealthy nation of self-confident producers served
by highways, power plants, computers, and thousands of other
life-enhancing products.
On Columbus Day, in sum, we celebrate Western civilization as
history's greatest cultural achievement. What better reason
could there be for a holiday?
Thomas A. Bowden is an analyst at the Ayn Rand Institute,
focusing on legal issues. A former lawyer and law school
instructor who practiced for twenty years in Baltimore,
Maryland, his op-eds have appeared in the Wall Street Journal,
Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, Los Angeles Daily News, and
many other newspapers. Mr. Bowden has given dozens of radio
interviews and has appeared on the Fox News Channel's Hannity &
Colmes. The Institute promotes Objectivism, the philosophy of
Ayn Randauthor of "Atlas Shrugged" and "The
Fountainhead." The Ayn Rand Institute promotes Objectivism, the
philosophy of Ayn Randauthor of "Atlas Shrugged" and "The
Fountainhead." Contact the writer at media@aynrand.org.
Contact
The Ayn Rand Institute
David Holcberg
Tel: +1 9492226550
MEDIA CONTACT
|
Posted: 10/06/2008 12:26 PM |
|
OfficialWire celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2011 as a global leader in press release distribution. Public relations and investor relations professionals as well as business owners of every description rely on OfficialWire for both its broad-based and targeted market reach. A recognised disclosure service throughout the World, OfficialWire offers local service and global reach at an affordable price. |
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All form fields are required.
|
|
"A good conscience is a continual Christmas."— Benjamin Franklin, (1706 - 1790)
|
|
|
|
—
