Cynicism
"No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an
uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human
spirit." —Helen Keller
Cynicism feels like intelligence.
Pessimism can feel like energy conservation. Eeyore never jumps up and runs. Eeyore never bothers to plan ahead.
When people are very cynical, they seem to think that if all the things they think are stupid are eliminated, what's left will be non-stupid. Smartness. Cleverness. Art. Good music. But once so many things are eliminated, what's left is a cynical person who has rejected half the world, and has the memories of all the details of that negativity.
As with any accounting (think a bank account), withdrawals deplete your reserves. Every negative word, thought or deed takes peace and positivity out of your account. Cynicism, sarcasm—which some people enjoy and defend—are costly, if your goal is peace.
Seeing and Avoiding Negativity
From something Jen Keefe wrote in November 2023:
It got me thinking about something I was lucky enough to learn relatively early on from Sandra regarding being cynical about stuff my kids like....
Getting to know my kids and subsequently all the amazingly cool "nerdy" things I never would have learned about otherwise has expanded my world. Cynicism always shrunk it.
. . . .
Ditching my cynicism was an awesome lesson. It has let me meet the actual coolest people, try things I used to think were really dumb, and jump all in looking like a total weirdo to stuff I geek out about—even when other people are watching.
Best of all though- I am no longer discouraging anyone from loving what they love. So in turn, I am not discouraging myself from loving what I love.
Positivity
