Our Stranger Meaning

My past experiences, current pleasures, and future goals are what give my life meaning. All three of these things are connected and add meaning to my life in different ways. My past experiences have made me the person I am today. There were many good things and also some bad things that happened in my past, and both the good and the bad have contributed to who I am today, and all of those experiences have added some kind of meaning to my life. Experiences can change you for better or worse and will always be a part of your life.

It’s always easiest to say what is currently meaningful to you, but it is also most likely to change as you age. Currently, I would say some of the most meaningful things to me would be music, my friends, and my family. I think I will always enjoy music and that it will always be a part of my life, but what I listen to now is not necessarily what I’ll listen to in the future. It currently adds meaning to my life, but it may not always. My friends are very important to me, but there’s no guarantee that who I hang out with now will be a part of my future. Friends come and go, but the times you spend together and the memories you make will always add a meaning to your life, even if it doesn’t last forever. Family is forever and I know my family will always add meaning to my life. Even if we don’t always get along, I would never want to be separated from them.

My future goals add meaning to my life because they are the things that motivate me to do anything. Because there are things I want in the future, I work hard now to make sure I can get them. I know that if I want a good career, I have to put in a lot of effort and hard work. Without goals, I would see no reason to do anything, so that’s why my aspirations give meaning to my life.

Candide's Punishments: Do They Fit the Crime?

It's hard to say whether or not Candide's punishments fit the crime or not because there is no direct "yes" or "no" answer, but rather all answers would be based on how an individual was raised in their society. In the society that we live in, I think it's safe to say that most people would think that his punishments were too extreme and that he didn't deserve those punishments based on what he did. For example, in the beginning of the book, Candide was tricked into joining the army and soon after decided that he wanted to leave. His punishment for leaving was either to run the gauntlet 36 times or get 12 bullets in the head. Our society would certainly say that those punishments are outrageous, but clearly the army thought those punishments fit the crime. Different societies have different perceptions of many things. This idea is demonstrated in Eldorado most clearly. In that society, everyone is happy and has all of their needs met. They see no value in diamonds or gold because it's everywhere and everyone can have it. However, our society puts a high value on those things because they are rare and not everyone can have them. This connects to whether or not the punishments fit the crime because every society has different values and rules, and what may be expected or normal in one society may be completely unheard of or absurd in another. It all depends on how one is raised and what they are taught to believe.

How Do I Know What I Know?

How do I know what I know? We can’t really be 100% sure we know anything for certain. But we believe that if there are certain “facts” that a majority can agree on and that those facts are accepted as true, we believe we know something. Math, for example, is probably the closest thing that can be proven to be true. In math, we have proof. You can calculate numbers to get an answer, and there will almost always only be just one answer that will prove to be true and solve an equation (unless you start dealing with things like imaginary numbers, which I don’t understand and frankly don’t believe in). Let’s examine some simple math problems. 0+0=0. I know that to be true. It is accepted by society that if you have nothing and gain nothing that you will still have nothing, and it can be proven. I believe this to be true because I can see that if I have nothing and continue to have nothing that in the end, I will still have nothing. It can also be proven that if you have one thing and gain another thing, you will have two things. People tend to have the easiest time believing things they can see. Most people would say that if something can be demonstrated, that is the closest form of absolute truth we can get. Seeing is believing I guess. Can we be sure that what society accepts as truth is true? Not necessarily. But if a society agrees that a certain fact is true and if there is no proof against it, then it can be accepted and believed without questioning.