More on 'Fund Random Voyages' Day
Oct. 15th, 2013 09:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
houseboatonstyxUnfortunately, honoring someone who accomplished one great thing, leads to pretending he was a saint in other ways. Then people who enjoy tearing down saints have fun, and the actual accomplishment of the great thing gets forgotten, or the great thing becomes collateral damage.
Columbus had a wild theory which turned out to be wrong -- but actually making that voyage found a result bigger than the spice route he was hoping for. The moral is 'Fund Random Research'. (Or, 'Follow Your Own Wild Ideas'.)
Columbus wasn't even looking for a new world to conquer. How his culture including himself) behaved when they stumbled on one, is a different matter. His peaceful spice route intention, and the work he put into the voyage, is what got him celebrated.
Columbus had a wild theory which turned out to be wrong -- but actually making that voyage found a result bigger than the spice route he was hoping for. The moral is 'Fund Random Research'. (Or, 'Follow Your Own Wild Ideas'.)
Columbus wasn't even looking for a new world to conquer. How his culture including himself) behaved when they stumbled on one, is a different matter. His peaceful spice route intention, and the work he put into the voyage, is what got him celebrated.
