How Christopher Columbus Faced His Fears Plus Giveaway!

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

We all have something that frightens us. Our list of fears is endless—heights, flying, public speaking, the dark, snakes, spiders, falling, doctors, germs, and the list goes on.

Today is Columbus Day, and I wonder what Christopher Columbus might have been afraid of. Here are six things that I doubt he feared because history shows us he lived life fearlessly.

1. Fear of water since he left school at the age of 14 to apprentice himself on a trading ship. He spent most of his life on the seas.
2. Fear the earth was flat because he set out to find Asia by sailing west. In truth, Columbus was not the first European to sail to the new continent of America.
3. Fear of criticism. Before finding the new world, which he always believed was part of Asia, he was a pirate. Later on he became a slave trader.
4. Fear of Satan. Columbus believed in God and wanted to bring Christianity to the heathen peoples of the world.
5. Fear of being wrong. In looking at items 2, 3, and 4, Columbus was his own man. He never believed he discovered America. His claim was to have landed in the Indies when he actually arrived in the Caribbean islands.
6. Fear of government. He published a list of promises the Spanish were supposed to fulfill, but didn’t.
7. Fear of timidity. Columbus became the first Englishman to gaze upon the shores of South America.
8. Fear of the unknown. What we do know is Columbus was a brave man with an adventuresome spirit. If he had fears, he overcame them.

This website provides 74 facts about Christopher Columbus with references. Take a look. Some we learned as kids and others are thought provoking: http://facts.randomhistory.com/christopher-columbus-facts.html.

Perhaps it’s time we face our fears and see what we can accomplish.

Share time! What is the one thing that scares you?

I have a fun surprise that I’ d like to share with you – a Giveaway Opportunity!

             DiAnn’s Library Corner

DiAnn’s Library Corner

Take advantage of upcoming holidays by decorating your library and recommending books that focus on the special day.