The Effects of Travel Writing on Society's Attitudes

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As humans, we constantly compare ourselves to others. In athletics, it’s “am I faster/stronger/more agile than that person?” In gender roles, it’s “am I prettier/skinnier than her?” or “am I more muscular than him?” We boast when we accomplish something great or small, but give simply a “nice job” to our friends when they land a new job at a great firm or run a marathon for the first time. Why is it that what we do as individuals is always more important to oneself than what someone else does? Throughout history, countries have competed (and continue to compete) to be the best of the best—to have the most land, to be most technologically advanced, to have the strongest military, etc.. Of course it is always important to be trying to improve, but why must one be better than another? There are never-ending comparisons between the self and everyone else, and this is seen everywhere we look. We see perfect examples of the constant strive to prove oneself and to be the best in the tales of Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo. Columbus, who robbed populations of their land and declared whatever he desired to be his, clearly had personal defects. However, nowhere does he mention his flawed traits, but only the flaws of others in comparison to his own people, along with his own personal attributes that he favors. In the beginning of a letter to the treasurer of the Spanish court, Columbus proudly says he “took possession without opposition in the name of our most fortunate king by making formal proclamation and raising standards” (Polo et al 78). However, only shortly after, he mentions that during trades between the natives and his own people, while the natives were willing to give anything for little to nothing, he “forbade such insignificant and valueless things be given to them,” and that he “forbade this, because it was clearly unjust” (Polo et al 80).

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