I don't consider myself a woman of faith, so some people will question my will to live. After all, if you are not living and doing good for the sake of a greater power, what's the point?
But I find meaning in my life. I find meaning in the fact that I can find happiness in the things I enjoy. Even though I don't believe in life after death, I don't feel that is a reason to believe that life is pointless. I think its more of a reason to assign meaning to our lives. This is life is all I have, so I need to make it the best I can.
I find meaning in the fact that I can affect other people. I make people laugh, or cry. I can share important moments with other people, and I can help other people through tough times. Sharing my life with others makes me feel like I am apart of something bigger than myself.
At the end of his adventures, Candide concluded that life was about cultivating your own garden. I couldn't agree more. I believe that life is about finding what makes you happy and sharing that happiness with other people. Maybe my life won't matter to people 100 years from now, or in the grand scheme of things, but that doesn't matter to me. If in my life, I succeed in making myself and others happy, then I lived a meaningful life.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Candide's Punishment; Does it fit the Crime?
I really didn't know how to answer this question. So, I decided to start with thinking about the first time it seemed that Candide was being punished; when he got thrown out of the castle. He was cast out onto the streets and, in his naivety, was tricked into joining the army where he was beaten.
But what was the crime? Well, there may have been some less than gentlemanly actions in his run- in with Cunegonde. One of the seven deadly sins! There could be a argument to be made saying that a whipping is a fair punishment for lust. But it seems a little harsh to me. Maybe the crime was not his rendezvous with Cunegonde. Maybe his crime was being so innocent.
Candide had no knowledge of the outside world for his entire life. People suffered not too far from Candide's best of all possible worlds. And he didn't question it. A person can only be a child for so long right? And if that's true, then is it not fair that he should be punished for allowing it?
On the other hand, Candide really had no reason to question his best of all possible worlds. It was beautiful. He can't be blamed for not being able to fathom something that was never presented as a possibility. Candide didn't commit a crime, but a person can only be a child for so long. He was forced into a harsh reality, with famine, poverty, and crime.
But what was the crime? Well, there may have been some less than gentlemanly actions in his run- in with Cunegonde. One of the seven deadly sins! There could be a argument to be made saying that a whipping is a fair punishment for lust. But it seems a little harsh to me. Maybe the crime was not his rendezvous with Cunegonde. Maybe his crime was being so innocent.
Candide had no knowledge of the outside world for his entire life. People suffered not too far from Candide's best of all possible worlds. And he didn't question it. A person can only be a child for so long right? And if that's true, then is it not fair that he should be punished for allowing it?
On the other hand, Candide really had no reason to question his best of all possible worlds. It was beautiful. He can't be blamed for not being able to fathom something that was never presented as a possibility. Candide didn't commit a crime, but a person can only be a child for so long. He was forced into a harsh reality, with famine, poverty, and crime.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
How do I know what I know?
How do I know what I know?
What do I even know?
I know that people should be tolerant of other people. I'm sort of a hypocrite because I often become aggravated with people quickly, but that's usually because they are intolerant. Personal experience has lead me to believe that a disagreement between two people isn't exactly grounds to start World War III.
I have disagreed with people in my life, but that didn't make them my enemy. If they became my enemy it was because the did not respect my viewpoint. If they became my enemy it was because I told them what I know, and they disregarded it.
Usually a debate between two people will not result in agreement. In a debate, you are exposed to a different point of view, and maybe you even realize holes in your own beliefs. If you enter an argument with the intention of changing someone's mind, your not going to get anywhere. If you try to force your beliefs on someone, your just going to make people angry.
People know what they know because they have experienced it. But people experience different things, and people interpret things differently. I know that what I know is different from the next guy. So I have to be tolerant, or else I would hate everybody.
What do I even know?
I know that people should be tolerant of other people. I'm sort of a hypocrite because I often become aggravated with people quickly, but that's usually because they are intolerant. Personal experience has lead me to believe that a disagreement between two people isn't exactly grounds to start World War III.
I have disagreed with people in my life, but that didn't make them my enemy. If they became my enemy it was because the did not respect my viewpoint. If they became my enemy it was because I told them what I know, and they disregarded it.
Usually a debate between two people will not result in agreement. In a debate, you are exposed to a different point of view, and maybe you even realize holes in your own beliefs. If you enter an argument with the intention of changing someone's mind, your not going to get anywhere. If you try to force your beliefs on someone, your just going to make people angry.
People know what they know because they have experienced it. But people experience different things, and people interpret things differently. I know that what I know is different from the next guy. So I have to be tolerant, or else I would hate everybody.
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