Perspective of Meaning

I feel as though everything in my life has meaning to me, whether I enjoy that part of my life or not. All the typical things have value to me, but so are the really small things. Things as small as being able to take a warm shower and eat when I get hungry, even breathing. These are things that have huge value but are usually over looked because you've been accustomed to having them. I think that meaning in one’s life is complete perspective. Everyone thinks differently, where you may see a beautiful sunset they just may see that the sun is setting, just the way it does every day. It’s just a routine. It’s completely left to the individual to decide what and if life has meaning, its all perspective.

Punishments of Candide: Too harsh?

                                                               Throughout the novel, we witness Candide having to endure drastic consequences for simple mistakes. I definitely believe that Candide's punishments were too harsh.I also believe that the harshness of Candide's punishments were always a form of satire on Voltaire's part to illustrate to society how dramatic we can be & overreact to certain situations. As humans, we judge & persecute each other heavily for things that can be viewed as simple mistakes, like when Candide was kicked out of the castle for having illicit relations with Cunegonde, although Candide was only imitating something he'd seen. Just like in today's society how people judge others heavily for their sexual endeavors for whatever their reasons are. It's unnecessary, and I believe with all of Candide's punishments, they were only so harsh to stir a reaction from the reader and hopefully get them to make the connection with their own society. Although it's more than likely much more mild.

How I know What I know

                                                     
                                         As children, we all feel as though we "know" that Santa Clause exists. Every year we try to be on our best behavior to receive this wonderful gifts from a man we've never seen. The only thing that most of us know is that we write a list to him of what we want, we must behave well, and our parents know him. All of this information comes from our parents, older siblings, companions, and other adults. Although, we as children have never seen him, we believe that he is because it's what we've been told. It's the only thing we know. As we get older, we begin to find loopholes in the stories and situations, and realize that certain things just don't add up. Eventually, we are told that Santa Clause is not real, and that he is a mythical being. Disappointed, we accept this knowledge and eventually move on knowing that Santa never did or will exist. Then, behold, in school we learn that Santa Clause was based on a real person named Saint Nicholas, who was a richer man who gave gifts to the poor. Although, this was not the Santa that we grew to knew, we know again that he was in fact real. The point I'm trying to make by this is that we know what we know by deciding to trust certain people, who trust certain people, who trust others who have delivered history.