Columbus, America, & The Truth...

[Straight Success]

If someone was to tell you that everything that you learned in grade school about Christopher Columbus finding America was built on a lie, how would you react?

I'm bringing this up for a reason. Conversely, if someone could show you proof that Columbus was actually looking for marijuana instead of spices as we were taught in school, would that change the history books? Just thoughts.

For those that know (although I don't smoke or sell marijuana), India has always been a popular source for many strains of different marijuana, hence where the terms indica comes from, or so I believe.

We all also know that Columbus was looking for India when he accidentally sailed to America where the native Americans were. Anyway, if proof could be shown that he was looking for that "spicy" not spices, could this possibly change the way we view things from a historical stand point?

Discuss.

[Bullhorn7]

Duh. Its widely known that the history books have been more or less rewritten becasue of the speculation behind hemp.

[ChIoVnIdCa]

Well you cant really discover something that is already inhabited.

[fatboy1185]

Why does it matter what he was looking for? How would that change anything. He could of been looking for a golden goose egg for all I care, doesn't change a thing.

[JohnD1079]

Im just here to say I hate school because of the mandatory comp classes.

[Straight Success]

Why does it matter what he was looking for? How would that change anything. He could of been looking for a golden goose egg for all I care, doesn't change a thing.

I didn't say it would necessarily change anything, except maybe the way the world's history has been documented. It would enlighten future generations about the truth of history instead of the B.S. people made up/altered over the past few centuries. Some of our history is/was altered, and it's a shame that we as people sometimes can't obtain the truth. I guess that's life, or at least that's how it has been for the past few centuries.

I'm wondering how history will be documented over the next century with regards to the Regan administration and what they accomplished, the Clinton administration and their accomplishments, the Bush years in office and what transpired during his 8 years in office, as well as the current President, President Obama and his efforts and accomplishments. Also, let us not forget about the future of America as a whole, not just the politics. I am curious as to how the present as recent past will be written in American history books.

I'll be able to look back on this thread 20 years from now, and know the truth about what America went through and compare it to the books. Just some food for thought.

[owequitit]

I didn't say it would necessarily change anything, except maybe the way the world's history has been documented. It would enlighten future generations about the truth of history instead of the B.S. people made up/altered over the past few centuries. Some of our history is/was altered, and it's a shame that we as people sometimes can't obtain the truth. I guess that's life, or at least that's how it has been for the past few centuries.

I'm wondering how history will be documented over the next century with regards to the Regan administration and what they accomplished, the Clinton administration and their accomplishments, the Bush years in office and what transpired during his 8 years in office, as well as the current President, President Obama and his efforts and accomplishments. Also, let us not forget about the future of America as a whole, not just the politics. I am curious as to how the present as recent past will be written in American history books.

I'll be able to look back on this thread 20 years from now, and know the truth about what America went through and compare it to the books. Just some food for thought.

The "truth" of history is a fallacy. Always has been. History is always written by the victor at the expense of the loser. Nothing in a history book is as clear as it seems, especially since much of it based on hypothetical and speculated conjecture (although not made up). History is much more complex than just documenting what happened.

Take the Civil War for instance. One side of the story is TOTALLY different than the other. Most likely, even though the North's version is the version that is published, the truth most likely lays in the middle somewhere. However, that isn't what is written in the books. You could find the same issues with any war, event or catastrophe in history.

[zmanwit90accord]

This is a little off topic but on the point made that history is sometimes "rewritten" is something I know about. I've taken history for the past 3 years in my catholic high school and I was amazed at the stuff they left out or avoided in the curriculum. The one class that showed cathlics in their worst of days was European History when I was learning about Columbus and all that. Every other class conveniently avoided the topics that may put christianity or cathloicism in the wrong light.

Not trying to instigate, just saying that yes I think that sometimes history gets retold and maybe avoids certain events or alters them.

[Straight Success]

The "truth" of history is a fallacy. Always has been. History is always written by the victor at the expense of the loser. Nothing in a history book is as clear as it seems, especially since much of it based on hypothetical and speculated conjecture (although not made up). History is much more complex than just documenting what happened.

Take the Civil War for instance. One side of the story is TOTALLY different than the other. Most likely, even though the North's version is the version that is published, the truth most likely lays in the middle somewhere. However, that isn't what is written in the books. You could find the same issues with any war, event or catastrophe in history.

Thanks for chiming in. So, do you have any methods or sources that you could recommend which could potentially have all sides, facts, opinions, view points, etc., and let individuals decipher the truth though facts and opinions from all sides for themselves? I was never big on history in school, but now certain things about history have peaked my interest.

This is a little off topic but on the point made that history is sometimes "rewritten" is something I know about. I've taken history for the past 3 years in my catholic high school and I was amazed at the stuff they left out or avoided in the curriculum. The one class that showed Catholics in their worst of days was European History when I was learning about Columbus and all that. Every other class conveniently avoided the topics that may put Christianity or Catholicism in the wrong light.

Not trying to instigate, just saying that yes I think that sometimes history gets retold and maybe avoids certain events or alters them.

I guess it all depends on the authors opinion. That sucks, but I guess that's how it is; or does it have to be?

[wed3k]

i think columbus was trying to find the west coast of america where we dub it, "Cali green"

[Straight Success]

i Think Columbus Was Trying To Find The West Coast Of America Where We Dub It, "cali Green"

Lol!

[deevergote]

In Columbus's time, marijuana was most certainly regarded much differently than it is today. The concept of "drug use" was much different. I guarantee that there was no illegality, and no social stigma. For us to change our view of his intentions based on our modern perception would be wrong.

[Straight Success]

In Columbus's time, marijuana was most certainly regarded much differently than it is today. The concept of "drug use" was much different. I guarantee that there was no illegality, and no social stigma. For us to change our view of his intentions based on our modern perception would be wrong.

I didn't think of it from that perspective. Heroin was the same way. It was thought to be a super drug, but history doesn't alwyas mention it in that light. People made mistakes in the past, and the mistakes aren't as well documented as other events, even if it means looking for a mellowing soothing substance in India in 1492. Maybe they called it spices then, while we call it marijuana now. Hmmmm!

[owequitit]

Thanks for chiming in. So, do you have any methods or sources that you could recommend which could potentially have all sides, facts, opinions, view points, etc., and let individuals decipher the truth though facts and opinions from all sides for themselves? I was never big on history in school, but now certain things about history have peaked my interest.

The same rules of life...er...learning, apply regardless of the pursuit IMO.

1) Always go to the most official source you can find on the matter. It may not be the most entertaining reading, but it will be full of useful information.

If there are multiple official sources, even better.

2) Never trust a source that isn't transparent with its information. They should always cite their sources, provide the raw data, and document the process the used to draw their conclusions. They should discuss/account for what error may be there, and why it may have occurred. Remember, that EVERYONE and thus EVERYTHING we do, IS biased. Everybody has an agenda of some sort. It isn't always bad, but it is always there.

Always verify the creator. You can't properly adjust a source of information for its bias, if you don't know what the bias of the creator is. Science is also subject to interpretation, so you have to do what you can to get as much information as you can and put it together in a "mosaic" of information.

A good example of this is a lot of the "environmental" science we are starting to see. Some of the stuff is very sound. Some of the stuff is very fabricated, ridiculous and just completely a hoax. You will find it in any pursuit, but remember the internet is a huge unfiltered world that doesn't seperate fact from fiction, which is why you have to. It is easy to use stunning graphics and make things look really official, when in actuality, there is no substance behind them. BE CAREFUL WITH INTERNET SOURCES. They better be just about right from the Horse's mouth.

3) Going back to the last one, read as much as you can find on the subject you are interested in. Unfortunately, due to the size of life and the things you are/will be interested in, you will probably have to have a list, and prioritize what is most important, what is necessary, and what is just for leisure. Trust me, the list never gets smaller.

4) Make no assumptions. You may have been told every single day of your life that something you hold to be true is true. In order to truely find knowledge, you have to try to look past your construct of reality, and your paradigm of truth, beyond your bias, and open your mind to neutral interpretation.

It is a challenge, and it won't always work, but the more you try it and practice it the easier it becomes.

You will begin to see that you are right about some stuff, and wrong about others. You will find that many people are lying to you, and many people are not. You will find that some people you thought to be authoritative are not, and some people you never gave a second thought to actually know more than you can imagine.

5)Don't be afraid to change your mind.

The WHOLE purpose of free thought is not to convince you how you should think. It is to provide you with the tools to think for yourself. Unfortunately, our ENTIRE education system is failing miserably at this and is tainted with self interest. Case in point: Universities are SUPPOSED to teach free though, and nothing else. They are SUPPOSED to give you the logical tools to objectively evaluate a situation, weight the factors and come to a conclusion. Theoretically, you should get about a 50-50 split on any topic. Yet, if you look closely at many college groups, you will see all but identical conclusions. This is a result of the students all being conditioned the same way, by the same people, and then being lead to formulate their opinions based on the guidance of those people. It ends up not being "free thought" in many cases. Politics are a good example of this.

6) Everything is fun to learn about if you approach it with the right frame of mind.

The key to making learning fun is to look at it as an adventure. I can assure you that no matter how obscure the subject is, something cool has or will become of it. I can assure you that anything you learn will have real world application to something else. Take whatever you just learned about and see how you can apply it to other subjects or other facets of life and that will, in turn, provide purpose. Learning with purpose is education. Education is knowledge, and knowledge is power.

As for history stuff, say you want to learn about George Washington or all of the Presidents (a personal example of my own). Read as much as you can by varying authors. History is a little muddy this way, although good books should still cite their sources. Anyway, choose as many different books about him as you can. The more you read, the more you will be able to clearly define your perception of the person and the events surrounding them. Yes, it is a lot of reading. Yes, it takes a lot of time. Yes, it is rewarding.

7) Challenge yourself, step out of your comfort zone and PUSH YOUR LIMITS. You will not feel comfortable at first, and you will not push the limits out there very far at first. But the more you do it, the more that uncomfortable feeling will become enjoyable, and the father you will fly. Dreams don't happen. They are pursued. Little by little, challenge by challenge, year by year. But if you stay the course, even when you think you are losing it, you may actually be on the cusp of making it come true. If you perservere, it WILL come mostly true (reality NEVER matches our fantasies...LOL).

Anyway, that is a lot longer than I intended, but I hope it helps. Sometimes it is a good reminder to hear such things.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go study for my aerobatic flight training, my flight supervisor upgrade, I have to finish a Crash Survivability study on a Cessna 150, write a 20 page paper on advances in automobile racing safety technology and work on George Washington. <==== See! It never ends!

[HondaB18]

The same rules of life...er...learning, apply regardless of the pursuit IMO.

1) Always go to the most official source you can find on the matter. It may not be the most entertaining reading, but it will be full of useful information.

If there are multiple official sources, even better.

2) Never trust a source that isn't transparent with its information. They should always cite their sources, provide the raw data, and document the process the used to draw their conclusions. They should discuss/account for what error may be there, and why it may have occurred. Remember, that EVERYONE and thus EVERYTHING we do, IS biased. Everybody has an agenda of some sort. It isn't always bad, but it is always there.

Always verify the creator. You can't properly adjust a source of information for its bias, if you don't know what the bias of the creator is. Science is also subject to interpretation, so you have to do what you can to get as much information as you can and put it together in a "mosaic" of information.

A good example of this is a lot of the "environmental" science we are starting to see. Some of the stuff is very sound. Some of the stuff is very fabricated, ridiculous and just completely a hoax. You will find it in any pursuit, but remember the internet is a huge unfiltered world that doesn't seperate fact from fiction, which is why you have to. It is easy to use stunning graphics and make things look really official, when in actuality, there is no substance behind them. BE CAREFUL WITH INTERNET SOURCES. They better be just about right from the Horse's mouth.

3) Going back to the last one, read as much as you can find on the subject you are interested in. Unfortunately, due to the size of life and the things you are/will be interested in, you will probably have to have a list, and prioritize what is most important, what is necessary, and what is just for leisure. Trust me, the list never gets smaller.

4) Make no assumptions. You may have been told every single day of your life that something you hold to be true is true. In order to truely find knowledge, you have to try to look past your construct of reality, and your paradigm of truth, beyond your bias, and open your mind to neutral interpretation.

It is a challenge, and it won't always work, but the more you try it and practice it the easier it becomes.

You will begin to see that you are right about some stuff, and wrong about others. You will find that many people are lying to you, and many people are not. You will find that some people you thought to be authoritative are not, and some people you never gave a second thought to actually know more than you can imagine.

5)Don't be afraid to change your mind.

The WHOLE purpose of free thought is not to convince you how you should think. It is to provide you with the tools to think for yourself. Unfortunately, our ENTIRE education system is failing miserably at this and is tainted with self interest. Case in point: Universities are SUPPOSED to teach free though, and nothing else. They are SUPPOSED to give you the logical tools to objectively evaluate a situation, weight the factors and come to a conclusion. Theoretically, you should get about a 50-50 split on any topic. Yet, if you look closely at many college groups, you will see all but identical conclusions. This is a result of the students all being conditioned the same way, by the same people, and then being lead to formulate their opinions based on the guidance of those people. It ends up not being "free thought" in many cases. Politics are a good example of this.

6) Everything is fun to learn about if you approach it with the right frame of mind.

The key to making learning fun is to look at it as an adventure. I can assure you that no matter how obscure the subject is, something cool has or will become of it. I can assure you that anything you learn will have real world application to something else. Take whatever you just learned about and see how you can apply it to other subjects or other facets of life and that will, in turn, provide purpose. Learning with purpose is education. Education is knowledge, and knowledge is power.

As for history stuff, say you want to learn about George Washington or all of the Presidents (a personal example of my own). Read as much as you can by varying authors. History is a little muddy this way, although good books should still cite their sources. Anyway, choose as many different books about him as you can. The more you read, the more you will be able to clearly define your perception of the person and the events surrounding them. Yes, it is a lot of reading. Yes, it takes a lot of time. Yes, it is rewarding.

7) Challenge yourself, step out of your comfort zone and PUSH YOUR LIMITS. You will not feel comfortable at first, and you will not push the limits out there very far at first. But the more you do it, the more that uncomfortable feeling will become enjoyable, and the father you will fly. Dreams don't happen. They are pursued. Little by little, challenge by challenge, year by year. But if you stay the course, even when you think you are losing it, you may actually be on the cusp of making it come true. If you perservere, it WILL come mostly true (reality NEVER matches our fantasies...LOL).

Anyway, that is a lot longer than I intended, but I hope it helps. Sometimes it is a good reminder to hear such things.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go study for my aerobatic flight training, my flight supervisor upgrade, I have to finish a Crash Survivability study on a Cessna 150, write a 20 page paper on advances in automobile racing safety technology and work on George Washington. <==== See! It never ends!