i am thankful for...

i would have to say that i am thankful for sir robi presley. his nonchalant demeanor and clever under-the-breath remarks can be quite insightful in the most unexpected of times. while delving into the depth of the ideology of existentialism, it was in fact, mr presley who pointed out stephen's new hair cut with the unforgettable "ay bro, nice haircut!" from across the room. it is this attention to detail coupled with his spontaneity, that is almost uncanny. just the other day, mr presley felt an irresistible conviction to share with a random stranger. he later told me of how he was driven to give a piece of fruit (a pomegranate to be exact  to a hungry classmate during 5th period lunch- though the recipient was reportedly not able to catch the fruit in time- i am sure, he was very thankful. after all, it is the thought that counts. it is this kind of unconventional approach that i have come appreciate more deeply in mr robi presley.

i know this has meaning

happiness. happiness has to have a meaning. people spend their entire lives looking for it in its various forms. for each person, there is a different means of achieving this happiness (an outlet if you will). whether it be playing music, drawing, singing dancing, helping others, reading,writing, white-water-rafting, playing basketball... whatever. and unlike all the other uncertain things in life, i know for a fact that happiness has meaning because nothing- absolutely nothing- can replace it. take for example even a man with everything in the world, material riches, power, influence, women etc but lacking an outlet to his true happiness (say loosing the ability to dance the samba after being injured trying to crip walk down mt everest) there will still be very real and a very noticeable void amongst all else. no matter how many cars he can buy, no matter how many females he has, no matter how he may try to fill that void, he will always be reminded that true happiness has a meaning.

-The richest man is not he who has the most, but he who needs the least.

punishment

From the very beginning of the story, Candide endures some very harsh punishments. Voltaire exaggerates the punishments perhaps to cause a greater development in both story line and character growth with Candide; all the while, setting the reader up for a "comical" realization  The unfitting consequences of his actions begin in the earliest chapters of the novel with the Baron exiling Candide into the wilderness for simply kissing Cunegonde. Without these extreme circumstances, the novel would lack the satirical elements that lead to the profound meanings presented by Voltaire.

voltaire's voting for..

Voltaire clearly has some very strong opinions on government  religion, and society as a whole. Seeing that his arguments tend to lean more to the liberal approach of today's Democrats, he would most likely be closely affiliated with the party. Although it is impossible to know exactly, I believe that if given the choice between the two main Presidential candidates o this years election, Voltaire would most likely vote for Obama.

Camus on the other hand, would seem to have a completely different approach in voting- and support of government as a whole. He seems to fall under more of the Independent category of today's political parties; causing me to believe that he would be rather indifferent. Understanding the basic ideology of Absurdism allows me to assume that Camus would probably not even vote. His pessimistic comment "it doesn't really matter" could hold some validity here- Using an approach of "my vote does not directly effect the outcome of the election... so why does it matter" And not only for the Presidential election, but for government affairs in general, I feel that Camus would be very successful in removing himself from partaking in any way shape or form. Simply put, Camus wouldn't even bother voting.