Leadership and Virtue
Because of some studying and research I am doing I had occasion to reread Candide by Voltaire. I love Voltaire’s satire that highlights the absurdity of blind faith and the dangers of excessive optimism or pessimism. One passage jumped out at me yesterday where Candide said to Cacambo: “You see, my dear friend, how fleeting the riches of this world are; there is nothing solid but virtue.” Candide made the statement after he and Cacambo left El Dorado and lost 100 of their 102 sheep and most of their fortune. Candide makes known to us his optimistic philosophy by offering this view of the situation, Cacambo counters with a pessimistic view, ever the optimist, Cacambo replies that they still have two sheep left and enough treasure to make them wealthy.
“You see, my dear friend, how fleeting the riches of this world are; there is nothing solid but virtue.” ~ Candide
Most, if not all, of the challenges Candide incurred were moral and ethical issues. He was right; riches are fleeting, but our virtue must remain on solid footing. At a time when corruption and depravity are becoming the norm, we need leaders who hold themselves accountable to serving with integrity and humility. It has been said that there can be no leadership without virtue. I believe this to be correct.
Other lessons to be learned from Candide by Voltaire include the importance of maintaining optimism and resilience in the face of adversity, questioning societal norms and authority, and the idea that true happiness may be found in simplicity and living in the present moment. One of the things that always becomes paradoxical for me while studying Voltaire is that Candide serves as a mere conduit for the attitudes and events that surround him. His opinions and actions are determined almost entirely by the influence of outside factors.
Byron's Babbles 
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