In this episode, I talk about one of my favorite books of all time: Voltaire’s Candide. I’ve read it half a dozen times, and it remains the only book that reliably makes me laugh during the darkest periods of my life. Written in the 18th century, Candide is a brutally funny, sharply written mirror of the suffering, chaos, optimism, disillusionment, and the absurdity of the world and the way it is, it was, and always will be.

I give a grounded, accessible synopsis of the novella, explore Voltaire’s life and the historical events that shaped this work, and reflect on how its lessons remain shockingly relevant today. With conversations everywhere about male loneliness, rising suicide rates, opioid and drug addiction crises, infanticide, genocide, abuse, constant global catastrophe, doomscrolling, pandemics, wars, and the crushing weight of macro-issues, Candide offers a radically different kind of wisdom: you can’t fix the world, but you can cultivate your "own garden."

This episode blends humor, philosophy, personal reflection, literary analysis, psychological insight, and my own personal anecdotes. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the state of humanity or wondered how to live meaningfully in a chaotic world, Voltaire and his three-hundred-year-old novella have something for you.

As always, sit back, relax, and enjoy.

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