Who Was George Washington Carver? by Jim Gigliotti

 Who Was George Washington Carver? – He was an American agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion.

George Washington Carver (1864-1943) was born into slavery in Diamond Grove, Missouri, probably in 1864. He was adapted by the owners of the farm, Moses and Susan, who were against slavery. George was a sickly child, not very strong. So he was excused from heavy-duty work on the farm. But he still wanted to be helpful, so he took care of the plants and fed the animals.

Moses taught him to make good use of whatever was available on the farm. Susan taught him how to sew, cook, and clean.

When George helped their neighbor with her roses, she also showed him the paintings in her house. He was so impressed that he wanted to paint himself. He created color from squeezed berries and used stick to paint on a flat rock.

He also liked taking long walks in nature. In the woods, he created his own little nursery. He cared for the plants and liked talking to them, and they thrived under his touch.

He was a very curious child and wanted to find answers to all his questions, but he wasn’t allowed to go to school as it was for white children only.

He never gave up on his dream. When he was thirteen, he walked to Neosho which was the nearest school for black children. He stayed there for a year. Then, moved to another school where he could learn more.

George’s agreeable personality and willingness to work made it easy for him to find a family to take him in.

In 1884, he got accepted to college but couldn’t attend it as he was not white. He didn’t know what to do next; he kind of drifted from one place to another and tried to make a living for himself.

Eventually, in 1888, in Iowa, he found a job as a cook in a hotel. Through the church, he got acquainted with local family. They became friends and discovered George’s interest in art. They encouraged him to go to Simpson College which accepted all. He enrolled in 1890. He studied music and art, and ran a laundry business to pay for college, which wasn’t enough but other students helped him out by donating food and furniture.

At school, George was very good at painting plants. A teacher noticed his talent, but she thought it would be hard for him to get a job as an artist, so she encouraged him to go to Iowa State Agricultural School to study science. He followed and studied chemistry, geology, botany and zoology. He graduated in 1894 and was hired as an assistant in botany. In 1896, he finished his graduate degree.

Meanwhile, he received a proposition to teach agriculture at the Tuskegee Institute which was for all-black students. The school itself was built by its students and had variety of students, some with very little education. But what was important to George was “to be of the greatest good to the greatest number of ‘my people’.”

And he stayed true to his words. He was a teacher not only to his students but also farmers and their wives. He taught them how to improve their soil, how to prepare better meals, be resourceful and not wasteful.

He’s done a lot of experiments, including ones to understand the best ways to grow crops so that they could yield the most food.

By 1915, his experiments were taking so much of his time that he gave up teaching eventually.

He wrote many booklets. His most famous was about peanuts. It included recipes. He was honored by the Royal Society for Arts in London for it, the same year in 1916.

In 1921, he arrived in DC to give talk to Congress about value of peanuts. Congress passed a law that helped peanut industry. After that, he wrote articles about the peanut industry, and advised companies that produced peanuts.

He received many rewards and honors for his work. He remained humble and helpful to those in need. He improved lives of his students and farmers. He understood the importance of nutrition and a balanced diet. He cared for environment and recycled discarded items.

He never cared for fame or money. What he deeply cared about was humanity. He cared about improving lives of others.

This biography exemplifies a man who truly cared for humanity. The recognition followed his actions, not vice versa as it seems to be in today’s world. This is a common trait for those who truly served the humanity, the money and recognition followed them.

Source: Penguin Workshop, 2015

 

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Be Resourceful. “Use what you find around you.” – George Washington Carver

Today’s consumption reached such high point that it makes us stop and think, at least some of us. We need to take responsibility for our actions: buy what we need, no more and stop being wasteful.

 

 

Traits:

·         George was a sickly child, but he still wanted to be helpful, so he took care of the plants and fed the animals on the farm.

·         He was taught how to make good use of whatever was available on the farm, and how to sew, cook, and clean.

·         He had a great appreciation for nature and was well-attuned to it.

·         He was a very curious child and wanted to find answers to all his questions.

·         He was challenged when it came to getting education. He encountered many hurdles, but his agreeable personality and willingness to work served him well in reaching his goal. (Be mindful when it comes to agreeable personality – you still have to remain true to yourself).

·         After graduating from college, he was hired as an assistant in botany. However, when a position opened up to teach at much less prestigious school, he didn’t hesitate as he wanted “to be of the greatest good to the greatest number of ‘my people’.”

·         He stayed true to his words. He was a teacher not only to his students but also farmers and their wives. He taught them how to improve their soil, how to prepare better meals, be resourceful and not wasteful.

·         He’s done a lot of experiments, including ones to understand the best ways to grow crops so that they could yield the most food.

·         This is a common trait for those who truly served the humanity, the money and recognition followed them, not vice versa.

 

 

 

 

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:

George Carver’s story gives a lot to ponder upon, and it also brings to mind a book that opens up human horizons, and which was also written by a humble human being.

 After by Bruce Greyson

The author relates his personal story how events in his life led him to study NDEs (Near Death Experiences).

Once, he started studying NDEs, he noticed an emerging pattern.

One of the patterns is them reporting meeting their loved ones on the other side. And even if they had, for example, a difficult relationship with one of the parents, that parent turns out to be the most loving person on the other side. (Why they didn’t seem so loving on earth? They were “difficult” towards you so you could learn a lesson you were meant to learn on the planet earth, which is our school ground).

Another pattern: NDEs are not afraid of death as that is not the end of our consciousness or soul evolution. Our soul enters physical body and goes through some difficult situations to learn lessons, for example, not to be so controlling, or to learn compassion towards all people.

Another pattern: time is an illusion or “time slows down the faster you travel” for those who experience physical falling down – for example, falling down from ladder, losing consciousness and going through NDE.

Another pattern: life review – you become a passive observer – you see your life objectively good and bad; the way we perceive things is very limited (as our vision is 3D and during NDE or out of body experience, you’re in 5D or higher dimension), often it turns out that we were not right about what we were projecting, and how your actions affected others. Such life reviews change people’s ideas of what things are important in life.

For example, one woman going through her life review and seeing herself through experience of her mother, father and brother understood their behavior.

Them not wanting to come back after NDEs, some of them getting a choice, others have none and are forced to come back.

Also, we are often the harshest judges of ourselves. Thus, we need to start with learning to love ourselves first. If we don’t have love for ourselves, then we can’t give it to others. (An empty cup has nothing to give).

One of the most famous NDEs is the one of Anita Moorjani (book Dying To Be Me). In her experience, she became the Source (God, Krishna, Buddha or else – it’s all energy). “We all come from Unity into separation, and then return to the Whole.” We view “this energy as an entity separate from us. But Universal energy, like our pure state of consciousness, needs to remain limitless and formless so that it can become one with us.”

NDEs have changed people’s attitude toward life and death – they’re not afraid of it. They confirm “that there is a meaning to everything that happens, and a purpose for all our problems.” There is a “connection to everything else in the universe.” They are part of something greater than themselves.

The biggest proof to NDEs is their behavior after such experience, undergoing major transformation of their attitudes and beliefs within seconds, when normally it would take weeks, months or years of intensive work. Where personal gain is no longer relevant, it’s all about unity.

For those who are sceptics about such experiences, the author Dr. Greyson, psychiatrist, presents how he started conducting scientific research on the subject to come to some logical understanding. This is important to carry such scientific research so those going through such experience can openly talk about it and not be ridiculed or looked upon as crazy. Also, it’s for their own benefit as for example some are confused after such experience as it may contradict with their religion and the view of death.

Doing his research in NDEs for 45 years, he came with challenges as some saw it as “just anecdotes” and should be dropped and not taken seriously. So in his career as a psychiatrist he faced situations where he had to choose staying or leaving his position. I applaud scientist who have the guts to go against the societal norms as they notice a pattern and deep down know that there is more to the story that we’ve been told.  

The author’s story shows another valuable lesson, when we come across a hurdle in our life, it’s not to stop us from fulfillment, but to show us how much more we can have.

Source: St. Martin’s Essentials, 2021

Who Was Ponce de Leon? by Pam Pollack

 Who was Ponce de Leon? – An explorer of new lands and the first governor of Puerto Rico.

Juan Ponce de Leon (1474-1521) was born in Santervas del Campo in northwest Spain. His father was a count from a well-respected aristocratic family. His mother is not known.

As a boy of noble blood, he was sent to live with a relative Pedro Nunez Guzman, Knight Commander of the Order of Calatrava, who was a personal friend of King Ferdinand. Juan as a boy began working as a page for his guardian, Pedro, but he longed for adventure.

He lived in a Catholic country and learned teachings of his church and believed that everyone must convert to Catholicism.

Spain wanted to conquer the remaining part of Spain – Granada, which was under Moors control. Juan and others reached Granada in April 1491. After eight months, the sultan surrendered Granada to Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.

Afterwards, Muslims and Jews were given a choice – either convert to Christianity or leave Spain.

Ferdinand and Isabella’s victory over Granada convinced them that God wanted them to spread Christianity. They believed they should go and conquer lands and convert them to Christianity. Now, they needed conquistadors who were enticed by profits.

Juan wasn’t interested in conquering lands; rather gaining profits was of his interest.

At nineteen, he joined Columbus on his return mission to Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) in the Caribbean Sea.

In order to claim the island, they had to conquer Taino – native people, which they did.

When Columbus set sails to return to Spain, Juan stayed on the island, where he met a Spanish woman Leonora. They got married around 1502.

In 1504, the Taino people attacked a Spanish settlement on the eastern side of the island. Juan was sent there and crushed the natives. He was appointed as frontier governor in charge of the entire province. He also received a large piece of land and some enslaved Taino. He used them in raising crops as they knew the land. From them, he also learned about Borinquen island.

Life on a plantation wasn’t exciting to him. He craved adventure and more riches. In 1508, after obtaining permission, he landed on Borinquen island. The natives already knew about the terrible weapons of the Spanish and surrendered. He created a settlement near what is now San Juan, where he set up a farming colony as well as native crops including cassava – which was good for making bread that didn’t rot in see air. He already had a plan for that – to sell the bread to ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1521, the island was renamed to Puerto Rico, meaning rich port. He settled here with his family as he was appointed the governor of the island.

The Spaniards also brought diseases with them for which natives didn’t have immunity. In results, many natives died of those diseases.

Juan’s success in Puerto Rico drew attention, and in 1493 Diego Columbus, son of Christopher Columbus, convinced King Ferdinand that his father stopped briefly on this island first and he was the rightful governor of the island.

Juan had to search for a new island and he heard of Bimini from the natives.

On April 2, 1513, they landed at the tip of what looked like an island but was a peninsula. On the new land, he saw bright flowers, birds and butterflies and named the land La Florida, meaning flowery.

It is assumed; they landed at what is now Saint Augustine. But the natives already knew what happened to other natives on Hispanola and Puerto Rico and fought fearlessly.

Juan turned the ships south toward home but on the way back to Puerto Rico he discovered the chain of islands, now Florida Keys. They saw variety of animals, including sea turtles. He named the islands Las Tortugas (The Turtles). Today, it’s called Dry Tortugas as there is no fresh water there.

When he returned to Puerto Rico, he no longer had his place there as Diego Columbus didn’t like him. So Juan took his family and returned to Spain in 1514.

King Ferdinand was happy to see him and to hear about Florida and Bimini. As a reward, Juan received his own coat of arms. Besides settling new lands, the king also asked him to put down the rebellions of Carib tribe in the Caribbean Basin.

Juan fought many battles in 1515, but in January 1516 when King Ferdinand died, Juan worried that he might lose his privileges. So he returned to Spain, where sixteen-year-old Charles I was the new ruler.

Juan’s next expeditions failed, but he was determined to conquer Florida.

In 1521, he landed on Sanibel Island, southwest of Florida coast, but Calusa natives were relentless in protecting their lands. Juan with his people had to retreat. While in retreat, he got wounded. When he arrived in Cuba, the wound was already infected, and he died at forty-seven.

This biography exemplifies a man who lived the life he longed for and became a hero during his time and the following centuries. He was certainly an adventurer and discoverer, even if other people already lived on the lands he discovered as at the time those lands were not known in Europe. But the moral aspect - how the natives of their lands were treated - is under the question. I don’t believe that making a villain of someone is the answer to such question. It’s about learning from history and making sure that it doesn’t happen again. It seems as natives around the world are gaining more and more respect as the rest of us are waking up from our stupor and arrogance that we know things the best. As our unconscious bias turns into conscious understanding what life is about, we start to make decisions that benefit all humanity, not just us and our surroundings.  

Source: Penguin Workshop, 2022

 

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Go back to ancient roots and explore its wisdom. Natives around the world are gaining more and more respect – explore it yourself by asking why?

 

 

 

Traits:

·         He grew up in an environment where he believed that everyone must convert to Catholicism. – Unprocessed emotions hide behind childhood beliefs and often backfire in adulthood unless emotions are understood and processed.

·         From young age he craved adventure which opened up to him during the age of exploration under the patronage of Ferdinand and Isabela of Spain. – He acted on his passion when opportunity presented to him, and it wasn’t a safe opportunity, it involved 100% uncertainty.

·         Juan wasn’t interested in conquering lands; rather gaining profits was of his interest. – Any individual gain is short lived unless later it’s turned to serve humanity. There are still a few good millionaires and billionaires who are not running after titles but rather to serve humanity with the position they gained through their success.  

·         For “settling” native people, meaning enslaving them, he was gaining financial profits and titles. – It’s a classic example of acting with unconscious mind vs conscious one. Your conscious mind would never allow you to do this despite the time you grew up in. Look at the figures of those who walked upon earth and now are called saints – they acted with conscious mind – meaning they acted upon what their heart told then, not the head.

·         Life on a plantation wasn’t exciting to him. He craved adventure and more riches. – At least, he was good at recognizing what made him happy. Most of the people live stagnant lives, and that’s not what life is about. The problem with Juan was the hunger for riches over the enslavement of another human being.

 

 

 

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:

 Dipping into unknown takes courage, but the most important part is to stay open and keep trying something new. Maybe astrology is something that would resonate with you at this point in your life.  

 This astrology book with esoteric approach is a helpful tool in understanding oneself and others.  

I Don’t Believe in Astrology by Debra Silverman

The purpose of this book is to use the tools of astrology to access your true self.

The author was a sceptic about astrology. She didn’t like the feel of astrological signs to limit her possibilities. However, ones she understood that astrology could help her in understanding her inherent nature, she realized that what she saw as limited now became expanded.

Astrology shows you who you really are. Each sign inherits a struggle, thus, it helps you discover what you are here to learn. Your challenges happen for a reason. It’s an efficient route to self-knowledge.

We’ve been conditioned to think or act certain way, but it doesn’t mean it’s the right way and we’ve been programmed to think it’s the right way.

The author calls the observer as the thirteenth sign. The observer is an important part in any emotionally charged situation. When you feel reactive, pause, and become the observer of the situation. See your behavior from a distance, looking back with objectivity and neutrality.

Most astrology books focus on the outer world. In esoteric astrology, the body represents your soul, listen to your gut reactions. And the rising sign is to help to access the soul, the higher parts of you.

“New Age,” namely the Aquarian Age began when science started supporting metaphysics, which is happening now. Science backs up such things as mystical or supernatural, from quantum physics to string theory to the existence of beings on other planets.

Our humanity is based on fear and greed which is shifting to love and unity.

It was interesting to read that Saturn demands that you change something about your life every seven years. I was aware of taste possibly changing every seven years, but it looks like it’s something we should strive for.

Source: St. Martin’s Essentials

Who Was Richard Nixon? by Megan Stine

 Who Was Richard Nixon? – He rose from the humble beginnings to the highest office in the government, and the only US president to resign from office.

Richard Milhous Nixon (1913-1994) was born on a small farm in Yorba Linda, California. He was smart and talented in music. But his true talent was revealed in High School when he became the star of the debate team. He was excellent at public speaking.

He was accepted to Harvard but his family couldn’t afford it. Instead, he went to local college. It seems as his bitterness at what some portray as social injustice began since then.

After graduation, he received full scholarship to attend Duke University of Law in North Carolina. He graduated at the top of his class but when he went to NYC to apply for a job, he was rejected because he didn’t attend an Ivy League school.

He went back to home in Whittier, California, where he opened a law firm and became well known and respected.

For fun, he got involved with an amateur theater group where he met his wife.

In 1941, when Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Richard moved with his wife to DC after obtaining a job for the government. But after eight months, he wanted to help US in the war effort. So he joined the Navy as an officer.

When WWII was over, he received a proposition to run for Congress as a Republican. He loved politics, and here was his chance to get involved. But he went from being a strict person to the one who started bending truth in order to achieve his goal.

He got elected in 1946. He was one of the members traveling to Europe to talk to world leaders about the aftermath of the war. He saw the devastation and how many people were hungry. He voted in favor of foreign aid to European countries.

In the US, he was appointed to the committee dealing with communist spies. He became famous for going after Alger Hiss, supposedly a Russian spy, which never was fully proved. So in the process, he gained some enemies at Congress.

He wanted to climb his political career. In 1950, he ran for the Senate in California. He used a name of “the Pink Lady” for his opponent, meaning she might be a “Red” (communist). In response, she called him “Tricky Dick,” which stuck with him for the rest of his life. He won, but in the DC he was unpopular with certain people.

In summer of 1950, he was invited to Bohemian Grove, secret men’s campground in North California, where they also discussed political deals. This time, Dwight D. Eisenhower wanted to run for president and was looking for vice president. He saw Nixon as the right man as “attack dog” on the campaign trail, going after his opponents. In November, they won the election. Nixon was elected to deal with other world leaders, which he enjoyed the most.

In 1953, in Asia, the leaders found Nixon charming and respectful.

In 1956, under his second term, his trip to South America turned very differently. Many Latin countries hated the US. The crowds were very hostile. Nixon handled them calmly. Upon his return to the US, he was greeted as hero.

His biggest challenge came with his trip to Russia in 1959. Before his trip, he studied for six months in order to be prepared for his debates with Nikita Khrushchev. The visit went very well and upon his return to the US, Nixon became even more popular.

But when it came to presidential campaign against J.F. Kennedy, he lost.

Two years later, he lost the run for governor of California.

His heart didn’t seem to be in politics anymore. He moved to NYC to practice law. However, with the assassination of J.F. Kennedy, and war in Vietnam, he ran for president again, and in 1968 with the promise of ending the war, he won.

He admired the French president Charles de Gaulle and wanted to start peace talks in Paris to end the war.

Meanwhile, he did many positive things for the country. He created the Environmental Protection Agency. He passed laws to keep workers safer and healthier on the job. He supported scientists to find cure for cancer. He made schools desegregated.

In 1972, he made trip to China to begin trading. Later that year, he went to Russia.

Many approved of his actions, but he was hated by the Washington insiders. More and more, he kept to himself and his behavior was becoming abrupt. He wanted to get back at his enemies, and with the help of his trusted people, he asked them to set up a taping system in the White House. He also involved FBI.

He started spying on his enemies by using the government’s spying power on people who haven’t committed crimes. He asked many to do a lot of illegal things.

In 1972, he ran for reelection. When he was in Moscow, a plan to set up bugs on the phones at office of Democratic National Committee didn’t go as planned. Despite that Nixon was reelected and the Watergate scandal seemed to fade away. Eventually, the truth leaked out and the first steps were taken to impeach him. But he chose to resign.

The tapes he asked to set up revealed him talking about crushing his enemies at any cost. He talked nastily about Jewish and black people.

President Ford pardoned him as he wanted the whole country to move on. Others were brought to justice.

This biography exemplifies a man who got knocked down many times but he knew what mattered was getting up again. What led to his downfall was his bitterness and resentment after certain rejections. Behind bitterness and resentment are unprocessed emotions, which in Nixon’s case led him to the abuse of the power, and at the end, destroying his hard work, and not fully recognizing his talent and potential.   

Source: Penguin Workshop, 2020

 

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: “Only if you have been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.” – Richard Nixon’s reflection on overcoming political and personal adversity

 

 

 

Traits: 

·         He was a smart child and talented in music, but his true talent was revealed in High School when he became the star of the debate team. He was excellent at public speaking.

·         He was accepted to Harvard but his family couldn’t afford it. Instead, he went to local college. - It seems as his bitterness at what some portray as social injustice began since then. (Social injustice is an illusion. It’s about how you transform darkness into light).

·         After graduating from Duke University of Law at the top of his class, he went to NYC to apply for a job, but he was rejected because he didn’t attend an Ivy League school. – The social status rejections were building bitterness and resistance inside him, but resistance is truly a sign that you lack presence (awareness of your own behavior).

·         He went back home to California where he opened a law firm and became well known and respected.

·         He loved politics, and in 1941 when Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, he obtained a job for the government.

·         When WWII was over, he received a proposition to run for Congress as a Republican. But he went from being a strict person to the one who started bending truth in order to achieve his goal. He won the election in 1946.

·         He was gaining popularity with some people at home and abroad, and becoming enemy with others, which seems to be a common theme in politics. – The thing is how you manage the division – do you unite as many people as possible in the process, or drive further division? The further division doesn’t serve people, it only serves the one who drives it.

·         He did many positive things for the country. Early in his career, he handled challenging situations with calmness, but under that calmness it seems as resentfulness continued to build towards those who had opposite views of his. – Life isn’t about us all having the same views – how would we grow and learn and evolve as human beings? It’s about how you handle those challenges and manage your emotions? EMOTIONS hide behind feelings and beliefs. Learning how to handle emotions is the key.

 

 

 

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:

As it turns out, a lot of us if not most of us struggle with unprocessed emotions. Those unprocessed emotions result in anger, resentment, control, neediness and other issues. This book is one of those guidebooks that guides a reader how to process emotions.

 

Psyche’s Awakening by Dr. Gillian O’Shea Brown

These days, more and more conventional doctors reach for holistic approach.

The author, psychotherapist, goes back to the roots, to the ancient wisdom which over time got looked upon as myth and legend. But as many of us are discovering, there is more to life than bare existence. Life should be extraordinary, not mundane. More and more people are waking up and becoming conscious of their feelings and thoughts, thus, having a better understanding of what is happening in our lives - which is not happening to us but for us. And in order to understand this concept better, the author takes a unique approach going back to myths which serve as mirrors and maps reminding us of the power and wisdom that resides within us.

If you seek growth and transformation, it will come. But the important part to remember is that growth and transformation is not about avoiding pain. Pain serves a purpose. You go through it to learn something about yourself and in the process growing and gaining wisdom. Thus, transforming pain into joy.

“The wound is the place where the light enters you.” – Rumi

Since ancient times, there has been some kind of search for some kind of elixir. But life isn’t about bypassing pain. It’s about processing the emotions:

For example, childhood is a time when self-worth and self-compassion should be learned and instilled. If childhood was painful and this process turned into stop loving and accepting yourself, then the healing journey of self-love needs to begin. Importantly, self-love is not narcissism.

When you lack self-love and need it from your partner, it only leads to pushing your partner away. When you put an end to someone who is emotionally unavailable to you, that’s an act of self-love. (If you feel that others don’t love you, that’s a sign that you need to learn self-love).

Another example is vulnerability. Childhood is when our beliefs are formed. That’s why understanding our beliefs is important in our healing process as emotions are hidden behind those beliefs.

Also, recognize recurring patterns in your behavior and relationships. Establish healthy boundaries in relationships.

What is behind fear and how to heal it is very important and provided in this guidebook. Fear causes stagnation in life, and life is about progress. (Fear contracts your energy).

When you face discomfort, that’s where you can experience the most growth in life. The humans have undeniable power to adapt, navigate, and grow from life’s most painful events.

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” – Michelangelo, about David’s sculpture

Like Michelangelo, author’s life’s work has focused on chiseling away at the unresolved trauma of her clients.

Like Michelangelo, you can chip away what is bothering or triggering you in your life, and reveal your light and who you truly are.

Source: Harper Collins

Who Was Marco Polo? by Joan Holub

 Who was Marco Polo? – son of a Venetian merchant who travelled to China and came back twenty-four years later, and the author of a travel book that inspired Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama.

Marco Polo was born in 1254. The same year, his father left for Asia and returned fifteen years later. Shortly after Marco was born, his mother died. So he was raised by his relatives.

He didn’t spend much time in school. Instead, he was taught different measurements used in different places in order to become a merchant.

His father and uncle returned in 1269 and two years later were heading back to China. Marco went with them.

On the way to China, Marco was a good observer of places and its products, and whether food or water were easy to find – he saw it as valuable information for other merchants.

It took them three and a half years to arrive at Shang-tu and the palace of Kublai Khan who was happy to see Polos again. Kublai was the grandson of Genghis Khan.

Marco was very impressed by the palace made of white marble and decorated with gold.

Kublai didn’t force a specific religion on conquered lands. He actually practiced an opposite tactic to keep people happy and not revolt. He told them that their religion was his favorite. He studied the teachings of Jesus and Buddha, and respected teachings of Confucius. He hired Muslims to work at his government. When farmers had a bad harvest, they didn’t have to pay taxes and were fed for free with grains kept in storage.

Kublai liked Marco as he was smart and amusing. He sent him on missions to different areas of the Mongol empire. It seemed as Marco had a talent for describing places and what was happening there. Along the lines, Kublai probably got the information he was looking for and felt entertained. Marco was surprised by the variety of animals and not knowing what they were, he described them what came out as entertaining descriptions.

Marco saw coal for the first time, which was used for fire pits. He was impressed by the Mongols mailing system powered by horses. He saw paper money for the first time. Europe developed money in the 1600s.

Marco described many Mongol battles in his book.

The Polos wanted to return home many times, but Kublai refused as he liked having them around. But in 1291, they got lucky when a seventeen-year-old Mongol princess was being sent to Persia to get married. They thought the route by sea would be the safest and Marco had just returned from a voyage from India. So he knew the route. They were sent with two golden tablets with a message – an order to anyone they met to protect them along the way. Again, it took them three and a half years to travel from China to Venice.

In Venice, Marco settled as a merchant but soon a war broke out between Venice and Genoa. The latter won and Marco was one of about 7,000 Venetians that were captured. He was in jail for about ten months and to pass the time, he entertained other prisoners with stories from his travels. Rustichello, an author, was in the same cell and convinced Marco to write down his stories.

In 1299, Venice and Genoa signed a treaty and they were freed. Marco returned to Venice with his stories written down.

At the time, books were written by hand. Currently, there are about 150 handwritten copies of his book but no two books are exactly alike, raising legitimacy issue.

In 1477, his book was machine-printed for the first time, and his book is still in print. Also, when his book was translated into different languages, the printer changed the story a bit if he thought it would sell better.

During his time, most of the people didn’t travel far from their home. So Marco’s stories sounded very bizarre. People didn’t believe him and said that his book was nothing but a million lies. Thus, they nicknamed him Marco Millions.

Whatever the case, Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama studied his book for their explorations.

As Marco was dying in 1324, people begged him to confess the truth. Instead he said, “I did not tell half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed.”

This biography exemplifies a man who stood by his words even on his death-bed while others thought his stories were filled with lies. He was a man who stayed true to himself, never wavered under ridicule. He was a good observer and storyteller. Just one book made him the most famous traveler of the silk road (by land) and the spice route (by sea).

Source: Penguin Workshop, 2007

 

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: “I did not tell half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed.” – Marco Polo - he knew it was pointless to be proving anything to anyone, especially those who have never experienced much outside their world.

 

 

Traits:

·         He didn’t have much schooling besides practical knowledge in measurements in order to become a merchant.

·         As he travelled, he observed places and its products, and whether food or water was easy to find as he saw it as valuable information for other merchants.

·         Marco’s talent for describing places and what was happening there got him on special assignments for the Mongol Emperor.

·         When he returned to Venice, he was captured and became one of the war prisoners. To pass the time, he entertained other prisoners with his stories from his travels.

·         One of the prisoners was an author who encouraged him to write down his stories. They did it together. When out of prison, he had his stories written down.

·         Some of his stories sounded far-fetched as Asia was more evolved, some things that were already developed in China, where not yet in Europe. Also, the wild animals were very exotic and unreal to Europeans. – Because of this many thought he was a liar, but he never changed any of his stories.

 

 

 

“I speak and speak, (…) but the listener retains only the words he is expecting. (…) It is not the voice that commands the story; it is the ear.” – Marco Polo

 

 

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:

 Marco Polo's adventures, and others not believing him - bring to mind the subject of aliens and the book by Adam Frank – Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth.

Do you believe in extra terrestrial life?

From the leaflet, “Light of the Stars tells the story of humanity’s coming of age as we awaken to the possibilities of life on the other worlds and their sudden relevance to our fate on Earth. Astrophysicist Adam Frank traces the question of alien life and intelligence from the ancient Greeks to the leading thinkers” questioning climate change as “we are just one of ten billion trillion planets in the universe, and it’s highly likely that many of those planets hosted technologically advanced alien civilizations.”

Frank Drake was one of the astronomers at Green Bank, West Virginia, - which held the best radio observatory in the world in 1958. He was interested in using the telescope to search for signs of intelligent life on other worlds. Thus, Project Ozma was born. By the spring of 1960 the equipment was ready, but Project Ozma never captured any alien signals.

 Meanwhile, in 1959, two physicists Giuseppe Cocconi and Philip Morrison published a study arguing that with radio waves the galaxy becomes transparent. And Drake has reached the same conclusion.

This gave beginning to exo-civilizations. A new human story was emerging. NASA projects began for search for extraterrestrial life. (From new knowledge, NASA did see life on Mars it was just not revealed to the public).

James Lovelock and biologist Lynn Margulis introduced Gaia theory of life as a self-regulating planetary system.

Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky, Russian scientist, also stated that planetary evolution was not just a force, but a force with its own kind of intention.

Building on those three scientists, a new generation of scientist began speaking of “coevolution” between life and the planet.

In the last few decades, the knowledge of planets as generic cosmic phenomena has exploded.

In this book, the author recounts the work of pioneering scientists in regards to extraterrestrial life and explores the question – what can we learn from extraterrestrial life on other worlds?

In May 2026, over 400 documents were released to the public which is part of disclosure about extraterrestrial life. The scientists are studying those documents now. According to ancient wisdom, extraterrestrial beings have been among us since the inception of our planet. The question is - are we ready to open ourselves to such possibility and interact with them?