Once again, I am reminded of India and her 5,000 years of recorded history, untouched by white men. Judging by the seven voyages of the Chinese Admiral, Zheng He, whose great ships sailed to India almost a hundred years before the Portuguese, India was a stunning and highly refined civilisation.
One fifth of the entire human population on earth lived peaceful lives, surrounded by literature, technology, math, science, magnificent architecture, etc. In India, social identities were constantly malleable. "Slaves" and "menials" and "merchants" became kings; farmers became soldiers, and soldiers became farmers; one's social identity could be changed as easily as moving from one village to another.
The people of India were eager to trade with the Chinese and had gorgeous textiles, jewels, metalwork, porcelain, spices, etc. to offer. Beyond India, Zheng He found other peaceful, welcoming, and rich civilizations on the African continent and returned home with his ships full of goods. Inasmuch as Zheng He had ventured forth for trade, his ships carried ambassadors, interpreters, translators, scientists, astronomers, and other educated men and women. Unlike Europeans tiny ships, Zheng He’s ships were so massive, he returned to China carrying wild animals, including a giraffe. While European ships lost half, or more, of their crews to filth and disease, the people on Zheng He’s ships returned home safe, sound and healthy.
Clearly, European/American historians ignore what they destroyed. Nonetheless, in 1930, historian Will Durant, author of the eleven volume, History of Civilization gave India her just due. A Case for India is a relatively short book, an enlightening and delightful read, and available on-line. Reading just a couple chapters is all it would take for your reader to grasp the extent of his mistaken beliefs about us, humans.
https://rarebooksocietyofindia.org/book_archive/Will%20Durant%20Case%20for%20India.pdf
Dr. Brown, reading this dialog provided good insight into the power of belief, over matter itself. As they say you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink it.
