Cynicism seems to be the air we breathe these days. So it's hard not to be cynical. But there is nothing wise, or even likeable about cynicism. Cynicism, in fact, is a bit like smoking. You may think it looks cool but it's really bad for you -- and worse still, it's really bad for everyone around you. For the cynic, a better world is a little too hard to imagine, and therefore not worth doing anything towards. What's worse is that cynicism pretends to be your friend, by warning you against the harsh realities of going up against the world. It's almost as if it's saying, "but I don't want you to get hurt". But making the world better is a contact sport. We don't tell rugby players not to go into a scrum because the other team want the ball, do we?
This is part of the problem with our modern cynicism: It promotes too much inactivity. Not so long ago, I recall a friend lamenting that it's better to be prepared for love and life to fail, because that way she's not too disappointed when things don't work out. That sort of cynicism is the root of her inability to grab life by the horns. So she self medicates -- with drugs, with painful relationships and with whatever else.
Cynicism is a recipe and an excuse for laziness and we should have no time for it. But it's hard because it's so seductive -- an easy and plausible excuse for keeping your head down. How many times do I tell myself it's just not worth the effort, that I'm an idiot to even try and make a change? Or that the person with the crazy idea for improving things I just met will probably get squashed? If I'm honest with myself and with you. Daily. And then I have to have a stern word with myself because I've come to understand that cynicism is the ultimate enemy of getting anything done. It's the ultimate enemy of a better future.
The problem with our politics, with our religion, with our culture as a whole? This cynicism. If we want to have a better future, the way foward isn't this cynicism. We are the world we create.