I Know This Means Something

The one thing in my life that I know has true meaning is my family. My family means more to me than anything else. My parents, sister, and best friend (who is basically family to me) all help make my life enjoyable and worth living. My parents have helped me with everything I’ve ever needed and have always been there to support me. They have set me on the right path in life and have guided me to make the right decisions to make sure I have the best possible future. They would do anything for me and I really appreciate all that they do. My sister can always put me in a good mood if I’m feeling down. She can make me laugh so easily and help me forget about my problems. She always has something positive to say and a lot of times she makes me see things differently so they don’t seem so bad. She encourages me to do things I know I have to do even when I don’t feel like it. We have a very special relationship and I’m very grateful for her. My best friend can help me with certain problems that no one else would understand. We have a lot of the same conflicts in our lives that we both try to overcome and together, we help each other get through it. I know he is someone I can tell all my problems to and he’ll understand. There’s great comfort in talking to someone who totally understands you and knowing that you’re not alone.

Frankly Speaking

I have found Man’s Search for Meaning to be a very interesting book so far. Every year since probably fourth grade I have learned about the Holocaust in my history classes, but this book has shown me a different side to what I’m used to being taught. Frankl discusses something I have never been taught before in regards to the Holocaust-what was the meaning of the suffering for each individual there? I always wondered before how it was possible for these victims to survive not only physically, but mentally. I couldn’t imagine how they could find a reason to want to stay alive after all they had been through until I read this book. If one could find meaning in their life, then they would be more likely to survive. Throughout all the suffering the survivors went through, they still managed to find some meaning in their lives to hold on to and to me that’s amazing. Those people were so strong and we need to learn about their personal experiences and hear their stories. What Frankl says is very true-it is so important to learn about events such as the Holocaust from people who experienced it firsthand. When we learn about the Holocaust in school through text books, most of the information we get in strictly factual. We get some insight as to how the victims felt, but nothing can compare to a firsthand account. It becomes so much more real to the reader when they read what was written by an actual survivor. The reader can capture the real emotions so much more as opposed to reading a textbook or something written by a historian who has studied the Holocaust. 

A Direction the Class Needs

I have really been enjoying philosophy class this year. It is definitely my favorite English class out of all the classes I've taken in high school. I like this class because I feel like it’s relevant to my life. We talk about life and how we view our lives and everyone can make a connection to it. In other English classes we have to read books that are not very relatable but since they are considered classics we don't have a choice. I like how in philosophy we read books that are interesting because they are relatable in a certain way. The discussions we have are very interesting as well and I like how the class can take the discussion in any way we choose. The discussions may not always stay completely on topic but we always drift to other topics that we are truly interested in and that's very important. I feel like this is the class that offers the most freedom and allows us to express our opinions more than any other class. I also like how there isn't an excessive amount of work but that all the work we do is relevant and actually helps us think about important parts of what we're reading, and that we have take-home essay tests instead of a traditional exam that would require us to memorize all the insignificant details of a story. I don't feel overwhelmed or stressed about the work in this class like I have about other classes so therefore I enjoy it a lot more. There really isn’t anything I could think of to change about the class. I think that the way it’s going now is just fine.

Voltaire and Camus are voting for...

I do not think that Voltaire or Camus would vote for either candidate in the upcoming election. Both of these men had political beliefs that would not be supported by either candidate in my opinion.

Voltaire’s views were quite extreme. Voltaire believed in enlightened despotism, which meant that he believed one ruler should have absolute power. In our current political system, that does not exist. He did not trust in democracy and therefore would not even approve of our political system. He felt that democracy spread stupidity among the people, so I do not think he would support any candidate.

Camus was against political realism, which meant that he did not approve of one trying to maximize their power, and therefore probably would not want a president to have so much power over the people living in his country. This view of politics is completely opposite of Voltaire’s views. I think that Camus would prefer no one to be in charge and would approve of people making decisions for themselves and not having an authority telling them what to do, within reason I’m sure. In The Stranger, the reader possibly gets a sense of his political beliefs through his character, Meursault. Meursault sees no meaning in life and wants to just do whatever he feels like to get through the day. I feel like Meursault would not even want to bother understanding the candidates’ views on how to run the country because to him, it just would not matter. Perhaps Camus had similar feelings and just would not care either.

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.