Why am I so cynical?

Question

I used to be filled with hope that I would be able to do something great in my life; that people would come together to solve the problems of the world; that the divisions of religion would fall away; that the gap between the rich and poor would diminish.... but it seems as if all of these things have only gotten worse since I was younger. Am I wrong to be cynical about the hope and future of the human race?

Answer 1

I think that your goals are honorable but maybe a little too high. It is fine to have high goals but you should not be devistated by missing them. Especially goals that involve others. I too am often disappointed and discouraged by the state of the world. But sometimes I see something that just may change that. A group of people that are working on a local project. A process that is invented with high hopes. A new leader in a country or a religion that is willing to do something. There is a muslim group that wants to mediate an agreement with the Christians and Jews that shows that their ideals are not different but it is the path that is different.

Answer 2

Yes. Yes, you are. :-)

I think your problem might have been that you were too idealistic and dogmatic, and this set you up for an unrealistic level of optimism that came crashing down around you when the realities of the world settled in. Now it looks like the pendulum has swung the other way for you, resulting in your cynicism.

It's not uncommon as we gain wisdom and life experience for our youthful hopes to get rudely knocked down. But neither is the world such an ugly place. I think we just need to be realistic about the world.

Now, being a realist is not the same as being a pessimist. I think a lot of pessimists are so pessimistic precisely because they are NOT being realistic. Being a realist only means that you view the world in an objective manner, without blinders or preconceptions or biases. There are parts of the world that are both very good and very bad; we just have to be careful not to paint the whole world with just one shade.

Personally, I am very cynical about some things, like politics, and optimistic about others, like the long-term progress of humanity. Many of the complaints you register were the same complaints made by your father, his father, and his great-great-great-great-great grandfather. The world is a dynamic and ever-changing place, and it's an innate part of us to yearn for the halcyon days of our youth and the "good ol' days."

When you look at the world overall, I think each generation has had a better life than the one before it. Each newer generation has more disposable income, more science & technology, more advanced medical systems, mostly more civil liberties, and lives in a more tolerant and culturally diverse society. We drink cleaner water and breathe cleaner air than we did a few decades ago, and have more forms of entertainment and intellectual pursuits open to us. For all the stresses of modern life, I sure wouldn't want to trade them for the stresses of living a few decades or a century ago.

You may want to check out the podcast below, it's a great discussion of a book called "The Age Of Abundance: How Prosperity Transformed America's Politics and Culture." I guarantee it's a great antidote to cynicism.

Answer 3

Yes, there are so many bad things that don't go away. It's always been that way. Me, I'm not a rich & influential person who the media would want an opinion from, so there's nothing I can do on a large scale. But I do what I can. I can contact a politician. I can offer up friendly smiles to people. I can hang cheerful lights for Halloween. I can light a few candles in my home for a warm atmosphere. As the saying goes, it's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.

Answer 4

From the Nietzsche-quote that Anya has provided, we may conclude that you are halfway on your way to greatness; the other half must consist in your regaining innocence. It is not wrong to be cynical about the human race; but it is, if not wrong, then at least petty, to be bitter about this cynicism. You must learn to accept - and more than accept: *affirm* - human nature. As again Anya says, man is an animal, no more, no less. You must stop condemning animals because they do not compare favourably to angels. One more Nietzsche-quote for you:

"The satyr and the idyllic shepherd of later times have both been products of a desire for naturalness and simplicity. But how firmly the Greek shaped his wood sprite, and how self-consciously and mawkishly the modern dallies with his tender, fluting shepherd! For the Greek the satyr expressed nature in a rude, uncultivated state: he did not, for that reason, confound him with the monkey. Quite the contrary, the satyr was man's true prototype, an expression of his highest and strongest aspirations. He was an enthusiastic reveler, filled with transport by the approach of the god [Dionysus]; a compassionate companion re-enacting the sufferings of the god; a prophet of wisdom born out of nature's womb; a symbol of the sexual omnipotence of nature, which the Greek was accustomed to view with reverent wonder. The satyr was sublime and divine--so he must have looked to the traumatically wounded vision of Dionysian man. Our tricked out, contrived shepherd would have offended him, but his eyes rested with sublime satisfaction on the open, undistorted limnings of nature. Here archetypal man was cleansed of the illusion of culture, and what revealed itself was authentic man, the bearded satyr jubilantly greeting his god. Before him cultured man dwindled to a false cartoon."
[Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy, chapter 8.]

Answer 5

Each soul is here on this earth to experience all of the things that it needs to experience to learn the way back to the sourse. Sometimes the Soul gets stuck and can't find its way out of the Hell it has made for itself. You can help whoever or whatever comes your way, or Not.
You can only save the world one piece at a time.
Send your prayers for the rest of the world but pay close attention to what is happening in your small piece of it.
Mawdy

Answer 6

The things you name may INDEED occurr. But it was a mistake to expect they would hapen within your lifetime. Humanity has a long way to go before it is mature enough as a species, to do all the wonderful things you envision. For now, it takes all we can do not to kill each other.

Is there hope? Yes indeed. But it's in the LONGER run. Nothing good shall happen in the near future.

Answer 7

You start with YOURSELF... 8-)

.Are you doing what you love??? Are you doing a good deed for someone else daily??? When was the last time you stopped to look at everything Beautiful...Fall colors, sunsets, the stars, a new puppy....Think on those things..

If it's mean't for you to help out a person or group with their challenge...

There's a saying:

"If God brings you to it...
He will take you thru it..
and Give you His wisdom and courage to do it..

There's a world out there waiting for you to be in their life!!!
Find a cause and help out...
Get moving Friend!!!!!

"Suggestion " Houses for Habitat are always looking for volunteers...

Answer 8

Nietzsche had said "About what is great, one should either be silent or speak with greatness. With greatness - that means : cynically and with innocence".

"Cynicism" - is drived from the greek *kuon*, meaning "dog". Therfore, cynicism means that we are animals and nothing but animals.

Having morals does not raise humans above animals, but rather severes us, from them. And thus, severes us from instinct; -instinctual health.

Nietzsche had said that man is the sickest animal.

Society has kept us from our *animal* instincts with its morals, virtues.

Cynicism is by no means bad, or evil. It is human instinct.

Answer 9

Perhaps your only looking at whats wrong and not at what's right. Try to see the things you might have been missing.