At the end of the novel, Candide, Cunégonde, Cacambo, Pangloss, Martin, and the old woman settle into a farm. Their lives on the farm are simple, but they are not happy because they feel the lives are too simple and not the lives they want. After they meet a farmer who lives simple and enjoys his life, they start to work hard without thinking about the philosophical speculation, and everybody learns a skill to support their lives.
I think that this is a happy ending although it is very simple. At lease they don’t suffer hunger and live as slaves even though they don’t fulfill their desires or become very successful people. Compare to them, many people live outside their garden are still suffering.
Most people are suffering from the problems which caused by their desires. People are always looking for better lives. Money, security, peace, leisure are people’s desires. I think Voltaire want to express that people to feel happier when they are satisfied with their lives and don’t always think about the useless things. Sometimes, a simple thing can make people happy. However, I also think that if people just satisfy with their current situations, people would not improve.
Do you feel satisfied of your current situation?
I agree with the idea that people just satisfy with their current situations, no improvement will occur. The story has so-called happy ending after all the characters experienced a lot. Because of their complex experience, their body and soul are too tired to struggle within the real world. The current situation is the best situation which they earned. They need not be slaved. They have freedom and safety life. In addition, they can to whatever they are interested in. It is their happy ending.
However, how many people can enjoy the same happiness like the characters in the end of story? It is hard to say. In fact, everyone is earning our ending right now because everyone has their own desires. The real issue is” where is the ending”? When people are satisfied with their current situation? For example, Candide could settle down to enjoy his happiness in Eldorado, and the life there would be more comfortable and harmonious than their life in the end. But he chose to find his love. Without Cunégonde, Eldorado was not Candide’s happy ending. If he did not leave, he might live to regret it. At last, Candide satisfied with his life although his love changed. Candide knew where his happy ending was.
I agree with the blogger that if people are satisfied with what they have, they will feel happy. I think satisfaction is also a skill that people should learn through experience some difficulties. For me, some bumps are necessary for people to experience because they will learn to overcome these problems. People will grow up and realize that satisfing with current situation is very simple to be happy. Like the main characters Candide and Cunégonde finally realize that work hard to plant food for them is the life they want after they go through their miserable time.
I agree with part of what you said. First of all, most of people like happy ending. Like the main character Candide, he overcame the many difficulties in his life; finally he got the happy ending. Secondly, Candide lived in troubled times, people were in unsafe society; whether Cunegonde or the old woman were had bad time in their life. After they went through those bad life experiences, they were satisfied what they got. As for me, I think most people will pursuit of the happy ending of their life. However, people are not always satisfied what they get. When they have a simple happy life, they will have another aspiration in their life. In a word, I think the human are always meet obstacles in life, after overcome those obstacles, they may satisfy with their life, but some people like challenge themselves rather than live with a simple life.
I agree that easy satisfaction can lead to passiveness and lazy thinking. Happiness is not done through one universal formula. I am very happy where I am now – having a nice family with a job, still being able to go to school at the same time, and still being able to go forward and achieve more to add to what I already have. If I wanted to be happy with just what I have now, I would remain with the same level of intelligence (or IGNORANCE). Should we stay the same or move forward?
I think sometime people should satisfy, because satisfy can make people to feel happiness. If you always do not to satisfy your life, you will always be very tried because you need to fight your life all time. I know not to satisfy can make people always keep improve and get better things for themselves. Anyway, that are all about the choice, we will never know which choice would be better for us, the only thing we can do is just do it. No matter you choice to be satisfy or not, that is your choice and you need to enjoy, otherwise your life will be difficult for you.