In short, Candide is the story of a young man who grew up in a castle in Westphalia under the tutelage of the great philosopher Pangloss. After falling in love with the Baron's Daughter, the fair Cunegonde, he finds himself banished from castle not days before it is savagely attacked by Bulgarians. This sparks a chain of events Which sees Candide travel all across Europe, to the Americas, the legendary city of El Dorado and back.
All the while he suffers the most dreadful of fates along the way. watching friends die, being robbed, accidentally killing men he had previously regarded well. Much of Candides suffering can be attributed to his own overdeveloped sense of optimism. Early on this led him to be far too trusting, and he lacked any amount of suspicion toward people. Though later on he slowly develops this though is at this point already desperately trying to claw his way out of the snowball of events which had already previously occurred.
In a wild turn of events however, he finds that all of his friends he met along the journey, whom he thought lost long ago, all ended up alive and in his final destination in Turkey. In the end, Candide is uncertain of the philosophy that this is the best of all possible worlds. But it takes but an old Turk with twenty acres of crops, a few beautiful daughters and no knowledge of world events to teach him the final lesson. Happiness comes much easier when you simply tend to your own garden. Which Is just what Candide and company end up doing.
The reason I end up connecting the premise of this understated masterpiece is this. What if this is the best of all possible outcomes? If the ones we wanted were to win this election, could a far greater disaster that we have no way of predicting be the outcome? Just because something seems good or bad in theory does not necessarily mean that the end result will be thus. Perhaps, as Candide, we should learn to tend our own gardens and truly think hard about which events do, or do not truly effect us.
This is not to say, mind you, that electing such a monster is anything to be happy about. But perhaps it is the will of the world and some good may come of it by some stroke of luck. This is not to say, that where there is injustice one should turn the other cheek. But perhaps save the fight for when it comes. There are times I feel that people are ever so focused on the events ahead rather than those under their feet that the future is somehow skewed by receiving too much attention. Many of our problems are caused by people trying to be outspoken, and by trying to attend to gardens which do not belong to them.
Perhaps, as Candide learns, the best of all possible worlds may be seen more clearly if only we view the world as it is, rather than with rose colored glasses. But learn to deal with that which needs done as though all will be well in the world. If only humanity would learn the pleasure of cultivating their own gardens, never minding others. The many sufferings of Candide and of ourselves, would be greatly lessened. Perhaps this is the best of all possible outcomes, perhaps it is not, but how are we to know when we are so focused on forcing change unto others as though their flowers may certainly grow in our soil?
