CYNICISM: SEEING THE WORLD THROUGH CRACKED GLASSES

Cynicism. Most of us know the word, even the general meaning of it. But we don’t truly understand the darkness behind it. We human beings spend so much time seeking to understand the world, so we create categories and definitions for everything under the sun. Psychopathy, narcissism, nihilism, etc. We make so many names to describe the nuances of the mind that their meanings all seem to blend together.

People tend to think of cynicism as a quality, simply a way to describe a person’s mindset. But cynicism isn’t a trait; it’s an experience. Cynics earn their worldview through painful experiences. Life is a fickle thing, building us up and beating us down again and again and again. A cynic experiences pain, and decides that if they don’t want to be hurt anymore they must first learn to expect the worst. And so they do. Life has taught them that no one is trustworthy. Everyone is an enemy. In that sense, cynicism isn’t a trait, but a bad habit born from the ups and downs of life.

The definition of a cynic is a person who believes that people are motivated purely by self-interest rather than acting for honorable or unselfish reasons. While this definition is not wrong, it simply describes a cynic’s beliefs. Beliefs are not an innate trait, they are something we develop. A cynic was not always so cynical; in fact some of the most stubborn cynics once were the most optimistic people. A cynic is simply someone who has lost their faith. Faith in the human character, in kindness and generosity and selflessness.

We live in a time where common decency seems to be ever shorter in supply, which means it is far too easy to develop a cynical worldview. But cynicism isn’t healthy. It’s a rotten and distorted way of viewing the world that chooses only to see the misery and imperfection of the world while refusing to acknowledge the good. Cynicism is the opposite of seeing the world through rose tinted glasses. It’s seeing the world through cracked lenses, distorting everything you see to fit the lenses you yourself have put on. After a while, you forget that the world ever looked any differently.

Cynicism is a disease, a blackhole that sucks all the joy out of the world and leaves behind nothing but suffering. To become a cynic is to try and kill a part of who we are. Maybe we can convince others that we’re past the point of no return, that we have lost our faith in the human character completely. But, no matter how hard we try, we can’t kill hope.

After all, glasses are simply things we wear. We can choose to take them off at any time. But for a cynic, it will take hard work and dedication to reject the cynicism they’ve developed. The key to happiness is finding a balance of optimism and cynicism. Be skeptical, but open.