My Mall & News

Today & Tomorrow

Philip Wik

Cynicism

     The short definition of a cynic is “someone who is critical of the motives of others.”  The 1913 Websters elaborates thusly:  “ Given to sneering at rectitude and the conduct of life by moral principles; disbelieving in the reality of any human  purposes which are not suggested or directed by self-interest or self-indulgence; as, a cynical man who scoffs at pretensions of integrity; characterized by such opinions; as, cynical views of human nature.  Synonyms include “faultfinder, depreciator, detractor, disagreeable person, disparager, knocker, unpleasant person”  Our modern use of this word comes from a school of philosophers founded by Antisthenes, and of whom Diogenes was a disciple. The first cynics were noted for austere lives and their scorn for social customs and current philosophical opinions.  Hence, the term cynic symbolized moresness and a contempt for the views of others.

Twenty-five years as a programmer and fifteen years as a landlord has given me a well-founded skepticism about human nature—the gap between claims and results, appearance and reality. On occasion, someone’s good heart will pleasantly surprise me. But, generally, I think we cannot be too pessimistic about people. We don’t need to be afraid of others. We just need to be aware and see them as they are. The political thinker Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) in our century would have made a good landlord in his realistic assessment of what makes people tick. “For of men it may generally be affirmed that they are thankless, fickle, false, studious to avoid danger, greedy of gain, devoted to you while you are able to confer benefits upon them, and ready, as I said before, while danger is distant, to shed their blood, and sacrifice their property, their lives, and their children for you; but in the hour of need they turn against you.” The paradox is that the recognition that all people are undeserving of unqualified trust makes us appreciate them even more in their uniqueness. It’s also a paradox that if I look at myself pessimistically, I’ll do better than if I look at myself optimistically. When I think I’m fortune’s favorite, I set ourselves up for failure, whereas if I think I’m Thursday’s child (who has far to go), I give myself a reason to redouble my efforts and succeed.

In a discussion on suicide, I mentioned that “a good way to kill yourself is to go to Iraq with happy thoughts, get captured by terrorists, and get your head sawed off.” Someone responded: “Very cynical. I like it.” But I would like to redeem the idea that cynicism connotes a view of the world of the glass half-empty. One person’s cynicism is another person’s pragmatism. I think a cynic tries to look at humanity as clearly as possible, realizing that people are driven by self-interest, even though they may be blind to that self-interest. I don’t think a person who is bitter, judgmental, and paranoid is necessarily a cynic, as that person allows his negative emotion to color the way he looks at people. Thus, a cynic is someone who tries to look at people in totality, questioning their motives but also appreciating their other qualities, if those qualities exist. I would say a cynic seeks to see human nature as realistically as possible. Sometimes, I question myself as to whether I’ve sized up a person or situation accurately, as suggested by a prose poem I wrote several years ago entitled “A Beggar at Black Canyon Highway”:

Warily gazing into weary eyes I wonder

At a cardboard plea:

Homeless

Hungry

God bless

Is she homeless?

Is she hungry?

On the make?

Or mad?

In the nightfall motorists transact amid my doubts.

But I think when we see human nature as it is, we’re less likely to be shocked or disappointed when people let us down, knowing that is just the way most people are wired. Thus, I don’t think a cynical person is necessarily morose, disagreeable, or unpleasant. In fact, even when things are dark, we can find humor in the human comedy. An example of a person who was a cynic but in the most positive sense was H. L. Mencken, the “Sage of Baltimore.” His love for covering the antics of bosses, playing Beethoven, and drinking beer made his life far from joyless. Most people are seduced by rhetoric that sugarcoats some of life’s hard realities. The challenge is to look past the rainbows and sunshine and see life and humanity for what they are. So, whenever someone calls me a cynic, I smile and graciously thank them for the compliment.