There are certain words whose proper meaning has been steadily vanishing through improper and repeated misuse. Certain words, whose power lies in the effect of its sound rather than in the precision of its meaning. Words who resemble gardens of reality infestated by the siren chants of mythology. Cynicism is one of these words.
How is it, exactly, to be a cynic? If you are called a cynic, you won't like it, for sure. You mightn't be able to understand exactly what you have been called, but you won't like it, as cynic sounds to despicable, immoral and shameless.
Cynicism is also a term whose actual meaning today might contradict the original one it held during the times of the Greek School of Phylosophy. And this is a point I wish to capture here today. The dictionary I have in my hands now defines a cynic as the person "who practices or persists in the error, justifying his actions with impertinence, shamelessly". I understand that, for example, if your friend boasts about his stealing of the network signal from a neighbourgh, he is a cynic. Or, another example, if your boss goes on vacation during a strike in the factory in order to receive full payment and, later, complains about his subordinates preferring to work rather than demonstrating, he is a cynic.
It is a matter of fantastic surprise the fierce impudence of so many today who happen not to understand these very simple cases. The heat of discussion gets you to the argument of living in society: "we live in a social environment, you cannot isolate yourself", you are told. And from there, the seed of corporativism against individual righteousness is just sown and harvested. And, here, most interestingly, the original definition of cynicim in my dictionary comes handy: "It belongs to the School of Anthistenes and Diogenes, whose life is a practical option against social conventions". Alas! Is it not right that going against social conventions, against immovilism leads you to isolation and to frontal clash with the cynics of today?
(PLEASE, LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS).
How is it, exactly, to be a cynic? If you are called a cynic, you won't like it, for sure. You mightn't be able to understand exactly what you have been called, but you won't like it, as cynic sounds to despicable, immoral and shameless.
Cynicism is also a term whose actual meaning today might contradict the original one it held during the times of the Greek School of Phylosophy. And this is a point I wish to capture here today. The dictionary I have in my hands now defines a cynic as the person "who practices or persists in the error, justifying his actions with impertinence, shamelessly". I understand that, for example, if your friend boasts about his stealing of the network signal from a neighbourgh, he is a cynic. Or, another example, if your boss goes on vacation during a strike in the factory in order to receive full payment and, later, complains about his subordinates preferring to work rather than demonstrating, he is a cynic.
It is a matter of fantastic surprise the fierce impudence of so many today who happen not to understand these very simple cases. The heat of discussion gets you to the argument of living in society: "we live in a social environment, you cannot isolate yourself", you are told. And from there, the seed of corporativism against individual righteousness is just sown and harvested. And, here, most interestingly, the original definition of cynicim in my dictionary comes handy: "It belongs to the School of Anthistenes and Diogenes, whose life is a practical option against social conventions". Alas! Is it not right that going against social conventions, against immovilism leads you to isolation and to frontal clash with the cynics of today?
(PLEASE, LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS).
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