F/S, M/D, M/S, and F/D

     The relationships that we maintain with our family vary between members.  Everyone acts differently around different people, especially concerning family.  Sex and age that are shared means that more can be shared between them.  This being said, the pairs of father and son and mother and daughter are closer than another assortment.  The pairs that cannot relate are more careful around them.  A father cannot relate to his daughters problems, and vise versa.  A mother’s reaction can be bias, basing the daughter’s life off of her own. 

     For example, a boy and girl, siblings, decide to go to a party in a bad neighborhood, by themselves, separately.  A father would allow the boy to go alone, but might be more cautious of the girl going alone.  In his mind, she is more vulnerable for bad things to happen along the way.  He can relate to the boy, and is not worried because he hasn’t had any bad experiences.  The mother might be equally wary of both children, but I personally cannot speak for her because I am not a woman and cannot relate to her situation. 

     The relationships we hold with family are precious, but sometimes we simply cannot relate.  When the age difference is too great, different generations can’t relate.  The situations could be unheard of to the parents, while commonplace for the children.                              

How do we know what we know?

     To us, it seems like a simple enough question, ‘how do we know what we know?’  But how about for the first ever people?  It is a very difficult concept to understand, but I suppose that the first people began to make up “facts” which we simply built upon.  There is no doubt that we know far more than those before us, it is evident through our culture and technology.  Colors, for example.  They could realize that all of these “things” had a certain quality to them, but had no word for it, or way to express it.  The first spoken language was most likely a series of grunts, or noises we would not normally see as a language.    However, it was this way that they could describe these qualities, or colors.

     From then on, it became far more organized, and taught in a way that people could understand.  By pointing to all of these objects which share the same quality, it could be inferred that the noise they made when pointing to these things was describing that quality. 

Our Meaning

Our meaning in life is varied, different for every person.  If you ask my meaning, it will be drastically different from yours, though the two may be interrelated.  Every action, and every reason for every action is predetermined, as well as linked to one another.  When one person’s purpose overlies with another’s, they are destined to meet.  Anyone you have ever met, even for only a minute, has played a very significant role in your life.  Perhaps if you had not said hello to a person in passing, you would have caught your train, on a travel that could have changed your life forever.

Even the smallest actions affect how the rest of your life will be played out.  For that very purpose, everyone has a purpose, to how they affect others.  It may not be evident at the time, which is the reason for no one truly “knowing their purpose”.  Not only does everyone have multiple meanings for their life, but it means that they hold the future in their hands to some extent, of everyone they have ever known.

Modern Day God

     As time goes on, respect for everything seems to slowly disappear.  Even the sacred has become less so in the eyes of modern day society.  Though God is still revered and praised among the world and throughout different cultures, the connection has changed.  Not too long ago, people viewed God with great fear and love.  They lived their entire life devoted to a sole purpose, influenced by Him.

     However, the tradition of old has changed.  Though the belief is still around, the devotion and the action are no longer here.  People used to die for their religion, giving their lives not as an escape but for a purpose.  Their lives were not viewed as given in vain, but as given for the prospect of more life, whether it is others or their own. 

     Traditions are still mainly kept to how they were, but some interpretations are taken differently.  These different interpretations and sub religions no longer lead to nearly as extreme of violent acts.  Before, wars could break out at a basic disagreement.  Now, people can freely make humorous remarks about God without any fear of punishment from society. 

     By far, God is less respected and feared in modern times.  However, people have no limit to their love of God.  They continue to show the world that mankind can continue with all of its purposes, and can live up to the expectations set for them.  The thought of God can continue to influence people, whether for better or worse. 

Candide's Punishment Fits the Crime

     At the beginning of the story, Candide commits an act that, while in modern times would not be a big deal, was huge at the time.  The kiss was the first act to lead to all of his further punishments and the relinquishment of his innocence.  Though Candide was rightfully punished, it was not by a righteous person.  The Baron was therefore also later punished.  Cunegonde was the instigator, the “snake”, if you will, so naturally she too was punished. 

     As the story progresses, it is observed that Candide is in fact not only being punished for the initial action.  When he leaves, his naivety slowly begins to disappear, and he gains knowledge through his experiences.  He is punished not for not knowing enough, but for knowing too much. 

     In this time period, the starting act would have been compared to a modern day affair.  Taking that into account, it is not surprising that what happened occurred.