The Best of All Possible Worlds

Some time back in the 1700s, a young dude named Candide was brought up in a Westphalian baron's castle and schooled by the great Professor Pangloss, who told him something like this: "It is demonstrable that things cannot be otherwise than as they are; everything happens for a reason; and all is necessarily for the best end."

Candide did not understand his exact status in the Baron's castle, but the older servants suspected he was a "natural" son of the Baron's sister by a poor man from the neighborhood and so of secondary status.

The lovely young Cunegonde also lived in the castle, and Candide secretly adored her. Cunegonde was a pretty, open-minded and observant young woman, and one day while walking the castle grounds she observed Professor Pangloss giving a "hands on" demonstration of his natural philsophy to a chambermaid in the bushes.

Cunegonde decided then and there to apply her observations on Candide; she drew him behind a screen inside one of the larger castle rooms, and soon they began to repeat the Professor's demonstration with each other. Unfortunately, they were caught in the act by the Baron and his Lady.

Candide was expelled from the castle and left to his own devices. He then became caught up in the horrifying affairs of the world, all of them testing the veracity of Professor Pangloss's happy assertions. And, along the way, he did anything he could to hook back up with Cunegonde.

So begins Voltaire's Candide, ou l'Optimisme / Candide, or Optimism (1759), a short romp that is as applicable in today's world as the day it was published.

Lindsay Anderson's O Lucky Man! (1973), starring Malcom McDowell, is a modern take on the same theme. McDowell is perfect for the role; the film is bizarre, but drives home Voltaire's take on things. A similar take is Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon (1975).

Everything happens for a good reason, right? This is still the best of all possible worlds, isn't it? When Arnold Schwarzenegger said in his Austrian German accent, "I was just being playful," he meant exactly that, didn't he? All is necessarily for the best end, after all. . . . .

Today's Rune: Breakthrough.

Auf Wiedersehen!