[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5liuHR6wug#action=share]
This
video clip is part of the Musical(or Opera) performed in 2005, Broadway. (Here’s
the link of the full uncut version(01:56:22), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO6I0G6kKz0)
In 1918, the conductor and composer ‘Leonard Berstein’ composed an operetta <Candide>, which of
course dramatized the original version of Voltaire. This operetta has been
performed, even recorded more than 70 anchors, through adding, subtracting and
reinterpreting, after its debut. And so, <Candide> became this present Broadway-performed
version, 2005. The edited video is the song of ‘Glitter and be Gay; Song of the Jewel’, when Cunegund is presented
with the finest jewelries from a wealthy jeweler. The title of the aria is
‘Glitter and be Gay’, however, it is not actually quite much of a laugh when we
look at the lyrics closely. There is a sufficient
suggestion of emptiness and hollowness inside of the actress who solaces
herself with jewelries. Now let us proceed,
Candide : adj ingenuous, naïve
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNLm3vo0xHI]
This
clip is the Official Video of the artist Grandbrothers
by the title “Naïve Rider”. It seems
there’s no relation between Candide
and this clip; for me, however, this music video has a subtle moment of
gainliness with Candide’s adventure (Although... I actually just found this
video by chance in searching the image of ‘Naïve’, ^^.). Back to
<<Candide(1759)>>, Voltaire even today intrigues our eyes with interest
and catharsis. Voltaire criticized Leibniz through the voice of Pangloss who says “Things should be as they are, for everything is for the best.” To
Voltaire, the Perfect world is not the possible optimistic world view; it is
rather only unrealistic and unenlightened.
He was really keen to tell people to DO SOMETHING. That is the reason why he
sentenced a cruel destiny to the “ingenuous and naïve” Candide. To answer the
violent voice of Leibniz, Voltaire chose not to give him tit for tat, but instead to give one wonderful witty story. A round
of applause for Voltaire! He made a splendid achievement of telling the most
POLITICAL tale in the field of philosophical work by creating the story as if
nothing is being asserted.
"All
this was indispensably necessary,"
replied
the one-eyed doctor,
"for
private misfortunes are public benefits;
so that
the more private misfortunes there are,
the
greater is the general good."
-
<Candide, chapter4, p14>
Of
course, there is no chance that this world is the best world to Candide who witnessed the war and rape, theft and
hanging, wreck and earthquake, cannibalism and slavery, all of which have no
reason. With a glance at the adventure of Candide, we can portray Don Quixote. Both speak strongly to us
to DO SOMETHING. “We have to CHANGE this REALITY”.
For both Candide and Don Quixote, it is unbearable to do nothing, BELIEVING in
this perfect world. It is the perfect
world for Leibniz who has a rich family and plentiful money; however, for
Candide, that world sounds absurd, or even abusive. For fellow sufferers, to
accept that perfect world they need
one and only thing, BLINDNESS – a trait
constructed from the society and which becomes our superego, or perhaps even religion.
It is the same for Don Quixote as well. Is he ‘Insane’? The definition of INSANITY
always contains the definition of NORMAL. That definition has no choice but to
be POLITICAL.
"Do
you believe," said Martin,
"that
hawks have always beed accustomed
to eat
pigeons when they came in their way?"
"Doubtless,"
said Candide.
"Well
then," replied Martin,
"if
hawks have always had the same nature,
why should
you pretend that mankind change theirs?"
"Oh,"
said Candide,
"there
is a great deal of difference; for free will-"
-
<Candide,
chapter 21, p68>
Candide
says that the ‘difference’ is accomplished by the ‘free will-’, however, I want
to advocate something different: I think the difference lies within the insanity.
Using another expression, DIVERSITY. Perhaps only insanity can build some kind
of an accomplishment or change. As we all acknowledge, we are all different. We
live in a world of pluralism, where a variety of distinct people live in. Some
people, like Leibniz, might prefer the world to stay in that way and any change
may be unnecessary; others may feel it as uncomfortable or intolerable. Some
might see every aspect of the world as a ‘rubbish-lie’, while others might see
the world as an ‘optimistic-best’. We cannot say that these different views,
like Don Quixote, are wrong. We all see the world as we would like to see it.
Any reality is not worse than the other possible reality. The world in which we
act with insanity may be, so to
speak, “Glitter and be Gay”, while
the world of belief is fragile and fading.
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