Columbus Delusionally Thought He Was Chosen By God — But Was He Crazy?
In the Journal of the First Voyages of Columbus, Columbus wrote to a member of the Spanish Court:
“God made me the messenger of the new heaven and the new earth of which he spoke in the Apocalypse of St. John, after having spoken of it through the mouth of Isaiah; and he showed me the spot where to find it.”
While Columbus was delusional to believe he was chosen by God, I don’t think he was crazy.
Like many folks who take on the extremely hard task of venturing out into unchartered territory, and him literally doing it, his main purpose was to strike it rich for himself and his family, while using the religious books as his inner story telling to stay inspired, as well as communicating it to his VC overlords.
The fact is he was a venture capital funded entrepreneur, out to strike it rich for himself and his family. The Kings of the time were his VC’s — he was just the ‘missionary entrepreneur’ (like what the VC’s like when they see a founder is obsessed with a problem).
Being chosen by God in 1492 was the ‘fake it till you make it’ of his day. He was clasically follwoing the principals we use even today to maximize our potential of:
Be.
Do.
Have.
In this little piece, I argue Columbus was delusional, and while he used the holy books as guidance systems and tools, that he definitely wasn’t crazy.
This is absolutely not to say he was ultimately a good person, as he ruthlessly slaughtered other people, and this is something he perhaps could have managed differently. This is speaking to his ‘calling’ related mindset.
What Does It Mean to be “Religious?
Most people generally think to ‘be religious’ means to how devoutly you follow the scriptures or believe how real they are.
Not true.
Smart people know religions are man created tools that help you satisfy your core mission in life, which is ultimately your choice, whether it venturing out to discover the new world or play it safe back home (both of which are find and have nothing to do with how good or bad a person you are).
Being Religious Does Not Make You Morally Sound Or Virtuous
While I consider myself a super religious person, I’ve never read any of the holy books as my parents never introduced me to them (my dad is quite the devout atheist, in the Hitchens sense of the word).
I am religious because of how I live, my commitment to living with positive intention, high consciousness, and the purpose my life holds (family) and meaning I give my life.
In a nutshell, my 2024 definition of being devout is equivalent to answering the question:
How much does it matter to you?
That is the question that determines how religious you are.
Every moment of every day of my life matters to me.
I walk around my town on a sunny Saturday and come to tears because of how much joy I feel.
The same way Jordan Peterson regularly comes to tears because of the depth of his consciousness and how lucky he knows he is to be in his position.
I grind through a busy Monday knowing it’s only one of 52 Mondays a year and if I’m not productive, I’ll never get that Monday back because I’m so grateful for it.
It matters to me.
It mattered to Christopher Columbus and his holy books were the tools that helped him navigate his inner and outer world’s, as he took on the dangerous pursuit of exploring new lands in the 1400’s.
Not because he was crazy, but because he was a voracious explorer.
#LoveThePain #BecomeWhatYouAre
