For a long time I considered myself a pessimist, or I guess I really just assumed I was. It seemed to suit my quiet, outwardly miserable and occasionally surly nature. It’s only in the last few years that I’ve come to realise I’m not really a pessimist at all. I rarely expect the worst, and I’m often hopeful of a positive outcome. I think people are basically good, even when they annoy the hell out of me. I don’t know that the glass is necessarily half-full, but I don’t think it’s half-empty, either. It can be either, depending on the situation and the liquid involved; sometimes half is more than enough. I am, however, often accused of being a cynic. Cynical is bad. It’s negative. We like positive. Positive is good. Even if you have to fake it. So I don’t blindly accept things, or people, at face value. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, particularly when you consider how many people do believe in “faking it“. Whatever “it” is. Just because I don’t immediately jump on a bandwagon doesn’t mean I don‘t like the bandwagon, it just means I feel that I need proof and personal experience before making a final decision about it. If that makes me a cynic then I’m okay with that. However I do understand that it’s not always much fun to be around, and I try to keep it to a minimum whenever I can. No one likes a killjoy, and it’s no fun to burst someone’s bubble.
Here’s the thing that drives my cynicism, and I know not everyone is going to agree, but I’m going to put it out there anyway: a lot of things suck. They do. Just because we don’t necessarily agree on what sucks and what doesn’t, doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of sucking going on. It's just that my suck might be someone else’s awesome, and vice-versa. And you know what else? There’s a lot of bullshit out there. A LOT. You only have to spend five minutes on the internet to know that. Unfortunately I do believe that I am burdened with an excellent bullshit meter. I can smell it coming from a mile away. I say unfortunately because I don’t necessarily like that about myself. Sometimes it’s nice just to believe something because it makes you feel good instead of seeing it for what it really is. A little delusion can be lovely. Now, again, just because I think something is bullshit doesn’t mean that I think everyone should agree. I am a big believer in live and let live. Or suck and let suck, if you prefer. I don’t want everyone to think like me or like what I like. I love that we’re different. I appreciate the cheery, happy, non-cynical people (even if I don’t necessarily want to spend too much time around them) as much as I enjoy being around my fellow cynics. We work in harmony and balance each other out. And if that’s not positive and optimistic then I don’t know what is.
Brilliant. Suck and let suck. Amen.
ReplyDeleteYou have the balance spot on and have justified perfectly why some cynicism is, whilst arguably not necessary, certainly not a bad thing.
Some people are so dismissive of opportunities available to them it is exasperating. A part of me is sympathetic because there is an element of peer pressure that inevitably makes many go with the bandwagon, but another part of me fears for how blinkered their horizons will forever be.
The level of cynicism you feel you are “burdened with” seems to me to be nothing more than common sense. If something seems too good to be true, it is usually because it is too good to be true. This old adage is a summary of the experiences of many boiled down through generations and surely it has never been more important than right now in today’s 999,999th visitor world in which we live.
Don’t dismiss a healthy dose cynicism until you’ve tried it, I say.
This vaguely positive response, by the way, is from someone whose own school report from when he was ten says that he “displays an unusually high level of cynicism for one so young”!
I'm in awe of 10 year old you!
ReplyDeleteI'm constantly wondering how people can't be more cynical, or at least asking more questions. And I agree, a little common sense - along with a bit of logic - goes a long way.