120 philosophical essays you must read in your life

Chapter 38

Chapter 2, Section 16, On Destiny

[French] Voltaire

Either the world exists by its own nature and laws, or an Almighty Lord has made the world according to His supreme laws.

In both cases, these laws are immutable, and it is all necessary.Pear trees cannot grow pineapples, and the instinct of a long-haired and lop-eared dog cannot be that of an ostrich. Everything is arranged, matched, and restricted.

Man can only have a certain amount of teeth, hair, and thoughts, and one day he must lose them.

It is contradictory to say that yesterday's situation does not mean yesterday, and today's situation does not mean today. It is also contradictory to say that what is bound to happen may not necessarily happen.

If you can change the fate of one fly, nothing can stop the fate of all other flies you create, all other animals, all people and all nature.When all is said and done, you will find yourself stronger than God.

"My doctor saved my aunt from a fatal illness and gave her 10 years more than she was destined to live," said the fool.

The fool who pretends to know better than the former says: "A prudent man makes his own destiny."

Your doctor saved your aunt's life, he still didn't go against the will of nature; he just obeyed him, because, your aunt can't prevent herself from getting sick at a certain time, and the doctor can only do it in his place. town; your aunt had to fetch him, and he had to prescribe the medicine that cured her.It is as if the farmer thought that hail had fallen on the field by chance, when in fact it was impossible for the hail not to have fallen on that spot that day.

There are those who are afraid of this truth, and accept only half, as a debtor returns half his money to his creditor, and asks to be forgiven the other half.

Some people tell you: "Don't believe in fatalism, because if everything seems inevitable, one will devote himself to nothing, one will be indifferent to everything, you will not love wealth, honor and praise; you will not want any things; you will believe yourself to have neither worth nor power; you will not develop talents, and all will disappear in indifference."

Have no fear, we shall always have our passions and our prejudices, for it is our lot to be governed by them.We know very well that our many strengths and great talents do not depend on us.We believe deeply that nothing should be vanity about anything, but we will always be vain.

It is as if the owl eating mice in its nest said to the nightingale, "Stop singing in your shady tree, come to my hole and let me eat you." The nightingale said, "Here I was born to sing and Laughing at you."

【Together with you】

Destiny is like a elf that changes quickly and always arrives when you don't expect it.Whether it is fatalism or materialism, it is difficult to get rid of a topic, that is, fate is inherently unstable.No wonder some people would say that fate is a combination of a series of variables.To this extent, the process of life is the process of undergoing change.Life is immortal in responding to change.

Of course, we cannot be biased because of the vagaries of fate, become fatal and depressed.Indifference and depression itself are actually the greatest disrespect to life.Whatever life gives us, we should embrace it with enthusiasm.Because, when we look at life stories such as the life story of a thousand trickles returning to the sea and a chrysalis turning into a butterfly, we will be hit by a power that originates from the origin of life... because life is experienced by everyone but not everyone can experience it. Give the most reasonable explanation.

Therefore, life is not only worth living by everyone, but also should be contemplated and praised by everyone.

(End of this chapter)