Arrivals...There Goes the Neighborhood

A few days ago I was reading an excerpt from the Columbus Journal. The Columbus Journal, a rather long and descriptive story of Christopher Columbus’s first journey to the Americas, focused mainly on how amazed Columbus and his men were at the environment, the food, the animals, and most importantly, the Natives who were just as astounded as Christopher and his men were. The purpose of Columbus’s voyage was because Spain wanted to expand their kingdom and their religion, so even through all of the amazement, beauty, and kindness from both the Natives and Columbus’s men, there was still this element of fear. Some Natives (not all) feared Columbus’s arrival because they believed he might enslave them, kill them or affiliate their small governments (assumed from the context of the Journal). There was also fear from the newcomers because they were at a disadvantage; they did not know much about the land nor did they know much about the Natives themselves. The arrival of Columbus and his men slightly changed the way of life for the Indians. For one, Columbus wanted to convert them from their own traditions and religion (if they had one) to those of the Spaniards. Also, Columbus, who was raised in a civilized land, believed that he should help theses Natives become more “civilized” by changing the way they dressed and made profit through the gifts he gave them. The point is Columbus and his men were newcomers to an already established land, like a new neighbor is to an already established block, community, neighborhood, etc. Columbus, rather he knew it or not, changed the Natives way of life and beliefs exactly how a new neighbor would change the perceptions of a person’s views of ethnic groups, customs, and religions. In modern day, this new perception could change the ideas of a neighborhood to be more susceptible to change. But this only about a fifty percent chance of happening in today’s society because people don’t really care much about new neighbors unless the new bothers the old or vice versa. If that’s the case then, there goes the neighborhood.