I don't know this means nothing.

 I haven't had any moments in life that made me believe that there is a God. That isn't to say I don't believe in God, I just don't think he cares about what we do on Earth. I think he has bigger plans for us, beyond this life.
   But that's beside the point. The thing to come away from that paragraph is that I haven't had that "I believe" moment. And I probably never will. That being said, I have my pillars. The things that keep my grounded in this life, and the things that show me there's something after this. I have three of them. Two emotions and one belief that keep me a positive person.(Take note, these are things I ponder and that I have to work on on a daily basis. I don't claim to be an expert on these things, but they're what I strive to achieve, and what I believe in.)

I.Humor-I know not everybody thinks that I'm funny, and that's okay. I don't require it, I find my own jokes to be humorous, and that's enough. Sometimes, I feel like sharing that with people. If they accept it, that's cool. If they don't find it funny, their loss. But I need to make jokes to keep my sanity. I suppose that's kind of selfish, but I think the occasional ability to make people laugh is okay.

II. Compassion- Life can suck sometimes, but each one of us has the ability to make it better for ourselves and others. The quote I use the most in life is probably "Be the change you want to see in the world." which was said by Gandhi. If everyone respects each other we'll all be better off. A part of that respect is feeling compassion for others problems. If you don't feel compassion for them, who will feel it for you?

III. Reincarnation- There is a lot of suffering in the world by people who don't deserve it. I could not continue to live if I knew that suffering wasn't going to mean something after this life. That's not to say I don't strive to help those who are suffering because I think they will be rewarded later, it's just that the only way I can function is believing that there is something after this.

 I don't expect you to agree with all of these. I don't want you to. Stick to your own beliefs. But consider this. No God worth worshiping will punish you for expanding your horizons. Before you judge somebody's beliefs, at least try to understand them first. Except for NAMBLA. Those people are freaks.

My search to understand man's search for meaning.

I was really excited to read this book. I came away from "The Stranger" feeling pretty angry, and I was really happy when I found out that this book was written by a man who believes in purpose. That being said, I really struggled to get through reading book with any sense of hope. But I trudged on, hoping that things would work out. 

 It was about the third time I picked it up, that I remembered the quote from the preface. "To live is to suffer. To find meaning in that suffering is to have purpose." So, this book may not have a happy ending. But that's the point. There aren't always endings that give people hope, however that's not an indication that we're all spiraling through the Universe without meaning. It just means that some people are given really bad luck. 

That's where my beliefs come in. I'm reading about suffering in this book. I read about suffering everyday in the local news, in the national news, and in the global news. I've read about bad things happening to people my whole life. Yet, somehow, I've grown up on the west side of Chicago without a scratch. I've got a loving family, and I haven't ever had to visit my friends in the hospital. I'm really very lucky. 

 Considering all of that, I don't really suffer at all. I don't believe a God has chosen me to not suffer, I just feel that somehow I've been given a massive amount of luck. This book has reminded me to pay as much of that luck forward as I can. So that's what I'm going to do, because it's all I can do to find meaning.

Voltaire

Voltaire would not vote in the election, because he could not have the counsciousness to vote for either candidate. Mitt Romney is a liar and a thief, and he has no real plan to be president. He just wants the job. There are so many things in Romney's past that would trouble Voltaire, and make him fight against his campaign. Of the two major candidates, Colttaire definitely would not vote for Mitt Romney.

 The lesser of two evils, President Obama, would also not get Voltaire's vote. Not because he tells lies, or because he doesn't do what he says he will. He believes President Obama genuinley cares about this country. That being said, however, President Obama cares so much about this country that he is willing to take the easy way out to protect it. Because of all the drone strikes in the middle east, President Obama would lose Voltaire's vote.

 Voltaire has three choices this election. He can vote for a fraud, who doesn't deserve to be president. He can vote for a man who has given up on some of his morals in order to protect this country, but is the leader this country needs. Or, Voltaire could choose not to vote. I think Voltaire would choose the third option.