You mean we’re supposed to work? We’re supposed to get our hands dirty and do manual labor? Surely not! Surely this is the best of all possible worlds, and working is only for those “lower” classes. But according to the Turk, “We find that the work banishes those three great evils, boredom, vice, and poverty.” Candide, Pangloss, Martin, and the whole group soon find this to be true, “The entire household agreed to this admirable plan, and each began to exercise his talents. Small as the estate was, it bore heavy crops.” This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.” Then, 1 Peter 4:10 sums it up: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”
When they stopped bickering and began to exercise their personal gifts- that’s when they finally found happiness. After traveling all over the world and enduring countless horrors, they finally realized that riches were not necessary. After all, Pococurante had everything a man could want, yet he was dissatisfied with everything and consumed with boredom. Riches are much sought after, but it’s a destructive cycle. Once you start, it’s an endless process of acquiring… then growing bored… then acquiring… it leads to endless avarice.
Candide spent the whole book chasing Cunegonde, only to realize in the end that he didn’t really want to marry her after all. This made me think… how often do we, as the body of Christ, spend our time chasing things that will just end up letting us down? We have all been given specific gifts, and we will not be happy until we use these gifts in some capacity, primarily for the glory of God. As Pangloss reiterated, “When man was placed in the Garden of Eden, he was put there ‘to dress it and keep it’, to work, in fact; which proves that man was not born into an easy life.” No, having to work in life is not easy, but it does give us purpose and bring contentment when we use our gifts to make the body of Christ stronger as a whole.
P.S. Commented on Chloe Rush's
My dad always used to make us work on Saturdays, even though that was the only day we didn't have something going on. Since starting college, I've realized that what the Turk said, is true. On Saturdays, I've sometimes been so bored that I resorted to cleaning, something I would have never done before, and it has made my day seem so much easier. I've always heard that hard work builds character, and I'm starting to think that whoever said that, may just be right!
ReplyDeleteHard work builds character...
ReplyDeleteMy dad used to say that to me all the time. I never realized that this book tied in with him until I read this post (and the first comment). I'm finally glad someone else pointed out the fact that work existed before the Fall of Man. you have no idea how many times I have heard the comment "If it weren't for Adam, we'd be living the all-play-and-no-work good life," and thought to myself "Someone need to read their Bible a little more."