Cynicism is the belief that people are generally solely motivated by self interest. In various areas of life a huge fraction of what goes on is governed by people who are very largely motivated by self interest, in particular their own money and power.
People are so cynical that they stop to think about things and just expect them to happen because of selfish reasons of other people. If you are so stubborn in being a cynic, then you believe you can do nothing and lock in the status quo. That is why permanent pessimism is not a very wise choice. Most young people that they're realists when in reality they are just people who mistake cynicism for wisdom. But just because someone is smart does not mean they have some sort of supernatural insight into the hidden motives of others.
Cynicism, in most cases, is just the mindset we've built around us to protect ourselves from even the slightest imbalances in our life. It is not wisdom or intelligence, not even being careful. It's paranoia that is everywhere around you, people are waiting to descend upon you soon as they get a chance. Cynicism is putting on self imposed blinders to save ourselves from the world we expect to hurt and betray us. But the same blinders also hide
the joyful things about life. If everyone is resigned to being fucked then it's pretty much guaranteed. That is why believing that things will never get better is just as bad as imagining without reason, that everything is to happen for the best.
This is what I see all around me in varying forms. One of the most common folly is political cynicism. While it is important to discuss problems and injustices, biased people start their stream of pseudo-analysis and finally
conclude that 'they'll not vote' when the actual decisions are made by people who show up.
I believe that while cynicism can be ideal, staunchly believing it to the point of radicalism is a mistake we all make from time to time, especially after something forbidding happens. It's a defense mechanism that mirrors experience and wisdom, but also leads to a stagnant life. Hope is not a farce, goals we achieve have meaning, our dreams are not going to be crushed. Believing isn't the same as being foolish just because hope emits an inexplicable happiness inside you. A realist and a cynic differ just as much as an activist and a slacktivist.
the joyful things about life. If everyone is resigned to being fucked then it's pretty much guaranteed. That is why believing that things will never get better is just as bad as imagining without reason, that everything is to happen for the best.This is what I see all around me in varying forms. One of the most common folly is political cynicism. While it is important to discuss problems and injustices, biased people start their stream of pseudo-analysis and finally conclude that 'they'll not vote' when the actual decisions are made by people who show up.
I believe that while cynicism can be ideal, staunchly believing it to the point of radicalism is a mistake we all make from time to time, especially after something forbidding happens. It's a defense mechanism that mirrors experience and wisdom, but also leads to a stagnant life. Hope is not a farce, goals we achieve have meaning, our dreams are not going to be crushed. Believing isn't the same as being foolish just because hope emits an inexplicable happiness inside you. A realist and a cynic differ just as much as an activist and a slacktivist.
"Cynicism isn't wisdom, it's a lazy way to say that you've been burned".
Note: Thanks to Sailesh for making this post readable, and wading through my incoherence to deliver sanity.
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