Candide

Candide or if translated, means optimism, is a book by Voltaire, a philosopher/thinker/whatever that means. Basically when Voltaire wrote this book, there was an ongoing philosophy by Leibniz, a church goer, which dictated that since God is benevolent, everything that has happened to us is the possible best thing.

When Voltaire wrote this book, he basically challenged the church, a dangerous move that could get his head on spikes, but he wrote it in such a way that it seemed harmless since it’s a fiction.

In this book, the main character, Candide, is not smart but very optimistic. He believed the Leibniz teaching since it was taught by his philosophy teacher, Dr. Pangloss, even though shit-tons of misfortunes have happened. Having finished this book will have you thinking a few things.

For me myself, the insight I got is:

Don’t judge someone based on intelligence.
See through the naivety.
Yes, there is evil in this world.
But some people are born pure.
Spare some space, give them a break.
Always see through the character.
Beneath that flesh, bone, and organs.
There is one invisible heart.
That connects us all beings.
After all, we are one.

Writing this is easy. But after imagining my annoying aunt who kept asking me when I got married, and another aunt who despised me because I rejected her proposal to match me with a distant relative, I find it very difficult to do so.