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I'm thinking of the score to Candide.Why Voltaire Said: You Must Cultivate Your Own Garden
So, what do you think?
?2-0?
brilliant, but in this time it comes off like marie antoinetteWhy Voltaire Said: You Must Cultivate Your Own Garden
So, what do you think?
I profoundly disagree with Voltaire's pessimism and urge to hide from the world. It this era, it just does not work.
We've seen over and over again that tending one's own garden is basically impossible for most of humanity. For example Mao's China and expanding to various dictatorships explicitly including the USSR and satellites. And of course, if you're a member of the wrong religion, you are very lucky if you're left alone.
In the USA, from libertarians though liberals, people feel that government is doing things they don't like that interferes with their freedom from gun ownership to abortion rights. Without getting into a left/right debate about what rights are important, I think the vast majority of us see our rights being threatened.
And I don't agree with the ignore the world approach. Now more than ever we need to be engaged with the world. Voltaire is right in that politics can drive people crazy, but even those who want to avoid politics can feel that our basic freedoms are being threatened and feel the need to engage.
Beyond politics, to me the times call for people to be involved with helping other people in all the ways that make sense to them.
Humans are a collective, cooperative species. The more we pretend we are not, the more selfish and damaging we become to each other.
Isolation and self-centeredness are not a solution. They are a problem that we need to get beyond.
Duh!Seemed like a good score to me. We are talking futbol, right?
I'm saying that is not possible. We are each other's business. Our well being depends on everyone else's.So you sayin' if everyone minded their own business the world would be worse off?
I take away a different message....I profoundly disagree with Voltaire's pessimism and urge to hide from the world. It this era, it just does not work.
I take away a different message....
Don't let the drama of politics ruin ones equanimity.
I love Alain de Botton's voice.So, what do you think?
You're welcome to live in anguish over societal ills.We sure wouldn't want a Trump enabled pandemic, apocalyptic destruction linked to climate change, or the repeated murder of people of color by police vigilantes to ruffle one's white, middle class equanimity.
So you deem the sole responses available to be anguish and equilibrium. That's pretty disturbing.You're welcome to live in anguish over societal ills.
Anguish is what I observe generally in your posts.So you deem the sole responses available to be anguish and equilibrium. That's pretty disturbing.