Columbus and Belief Perseverance
Belief Perseverance is the concept of persisting with one’s initial ideas even when those ideas may have been proven false or discredited. In other words, despite what anyone said or whatever happened during the course of his journey, Columbus knew he was right. He knew he would find support for his expedition. He knew he could find a western route to the Indies. He knew he would find plentiful amounts of gold. His assertions affected his judgment so deeply it became the very center of his being, and thus his personality traits, actions taken, and accomplishments reflect that center. Belief Perseverance, then, is integral to the success of Columbus.
Before viewing the impact on Columbus’s life and accomplishments, it must be determined whether or not he was a victim of Belief Perseverance to begin with. David G. Meyers defines Belief Perseverance as the “Persistence of one’s initial conceptions, as when the basis for one’s belief is discredited but an explanation of why the belief might be true survives” (102). So it becomes necessary to understand not only his beliefs, but also what he did to continue believing despite evidence to the contrary. Unfortunately, not much is known about Christopher Columbus beyond what he recorded about himself, so any attempt to understand his motivations would be building upon a fragmented foundation. John Noble Wilford notes that Columbus’s history is “frustratingly incomplete” (332). Columbus’s motivations for wanting to cross the western sea to the Indies remain inconclusive. Still, his letters, journals, and books provide great insight into his reasoning and beliefs, despite the self-serving bias displayed all throughout. In his letter describing his first voyage, Columbus mentions many overwhelmingly positive accounts of his findings, including lands rich for planting, waterways containing gold, and new types of fruits and plants (18).
The information is tantalizing to a homeland willing to cultivate previously unknown lands; it was in Columbus’s best interests to appease his benefactors. Simon Schama agrees, suggesting that Columbus wished for higher social status: “Columbus was indeed obsessed with turning himself and his family into lords” (354). Beneath the need for better status, Schama continues on to say, was Columbus’s religious cause: “It was preordained, [Columbus] believed, that he should be Christoferens, or the Christ-bearer, the carrier of the evangel to the nations of the world” (354). When Columbus reaches land during his first voyage, he mentions the natives proclaiming him and his crewmen to be people of heaven (19), which he never attempts to dissuade; perhaps, in a sense, he believed it to be true. Supporting his belief of bringing divinity was the quality of the land before him. In this sense, his glowing accounts of the terrain describe not just a new land ripe for the picking, but a paradise equal to, if not Eden itself. There he confirmed his role in prophecy. Schama explains: “[the voyage’s] objective was nothing less than the fulfillment of the crusading vocation: the liberation of the Holy Places and the rebuilding of the Holy Temple” (354). Judgment Day was coming, and he had to secure the earthly paradise he was destined to find. In his own mind, he was not wrong, and enforced that belief: “He forced his crew to swear that one of his landfalls, Cuba, was the Asian mainland. His was not an open mind” (Wilford 337).
Even on his deathbed he refused to back down, believing the Apocalypse was close at hand: “his mind was consumed with self-pity, mysticism and a desperate desire to seize Jerusalem in preparation for Judgment Day” (Wilford 337). Therefore, Columbus’s goals, gaining higher social status through royal appeasement and confirmation of divine prophecy, were a result of his unwavering belief in his own importance.
Columbus affected much with his unshakable attitude, some positive, some negative. To embark on his quest, he needed Royal backing; persistence and a persuasive manner of speaking must have had a hand in enabling access to influential Friars and members of the Royal Court (Wilford 337). To lead his expedition, he followed his instincts, trusting his calculations to lead him, despite court opposition correctly proclaiming his mistakes in judgment regarding the actual circumference of the Earth (Walker 342). When he first came across Cuba, Columbus believed it to be the mainland of China, and “went forward on the same course, thinking that [he] should not fail to find great cities and towns” (17). He explores further on land, proclaiming rich deposits of gold lay in waiting (18); this proclamation, either greatly exaggerated or completely false, sparked many later explorers to comb the Americas up and down. Clearly, Columbus had a self-serving bias that supported itself even at times when proven wrong or deceptive, though the results for his persevering efforts are mixed. Because he was determined to prove himself right, he initiated western exploration and exploitation, became symbolic of imperialism, Calvinism, and the American Spirit of challenging the unknown, and was condemned by some and elevated to Sainthood by others. No doubt, Columbus’s stubbornness affected his judgment, and thus his accomplishments and failures were as well.
Perceptions of Christopher Columbus have been remolded several times since his grand adventure across the Atlantic. With each incarnation of understanding, more dimensions are added to his neurological repertoire. Sifting through it all is daunting, but two crystal-clear facts cannot be disputed. One, he was an excellent navigator; two, he was incredibly focused. It just so happens the latter easily leads to single-mindedness and stubbornness, the results of which became a double-edged sword of positive successes and negative consequences. After surveying the results of his beliefs, the real question becomes not what result made the greatest impact, but whether holding a single-minded viewpoint is more or less beneficial for any human being.
Columbus, Christopher. “Columbus’s Letter Describing his First Voyage.” and “The Diario of Christopher Columbus’s First Voyage to America.” 1492-3. Anthology of American Literature. 2004. Ed George McMichael, et all. 8th ed. Prentice Hall: New Jersey. (16-23). Meyers, David G. Social Psychology. 2005. 8th ed. McGraw-Hill: Boston. (101-2). Schama, Simon. “They All Laughed at Christopher Columbus.” 1992. Contemporary Literary Criticism. 70 (352-9). Walker, Ruth. “Discovering Columbus-Again.” 1991. Contemporary Literary Criticism. 70 (342-3). Wilford, John Noble. “Discovering Columbus.” 1991. Contemporary Literary Criticism. 70 (332-8).
