When Hope Triumphs Over Cynicism!

25 Jun When Hope Triumphs Over Cynicism!

“Scratch any cynic and you will find a disappointed idealist.” ― George Carlin

People do not get out of bed one morning and decide that henceforth they will be cynical, jaded and distrustful about everything. Most people are optimistic, even hopeful in their early 20s. They are idealistic, know how to change the world and are fired with the zeal to make it a reality.

Then life happens.

Cynicism has of late become indistinguishable from the air that we breathe. How do people who seemingly have their act together and are successful at what they do end up disillusioned, jaded and lacking in hope? Not all of these people are in their 40s, 50s or 60s. Many of them are still in their 20s and 30s. What I realized is that it is a journey. The slow move from the optimism of the 20s and the realism of the 30s leads them to be surrounded by friends in their 40s who are into dead-end jobs, broken relationships and lukewarm friendships. The cynicism around people seeps its way into them.  

But the good news is there’s hope… that will flow from a firehose if you are prepared for it. The past need not be the future. The remedy to cynicism is curiosity. Curiosity closes the door on cynicism.

Curious people are never cynical and conversely, cynical people are never curious.

I have known some amazingly curious people in their 70s and 80s, who are never cynical. Look hard enough and you will find them sprinkled everywhere. But how does one nurture ongoing curiosity? 

• Schedule “me” time: Exit the cycle of busyness (notice I didn’t say business). Busyness kills curiosity. Becoming curious about the world around and exploring it in-depth, will open horizons that you never thought of, dreamed or imagined. 
• Keep questioning: Asking questions that are open-ended, stimulate thinking, discussion and debate. Also listen to what people have to say about the questions. Listening closer than most people listen will enable you to hear things that most people don’t. 
• Guard your answers: Doing this gives people permission to speak the deep things of their hearts that nobody else was willing to give a ear to. It will broaden your own thinking in turn. 
• Re-start dreaming: As we grow older, we give up on the very virtue that fuelled our younger days. Exchange the need for control, with the desire to dream; and be in awe of life and the future. 
• Find your why, then start asking why not: Why fuels curiosity. Why not opens up new vistas in engaging with yourself and others. 

Of course, one needs to be intentional in all these things. Practicing these tricks has left no room for cynicism in my thinking, life, attitude and actions.

Let me end with my favourite Mark Waid quote: “A superhero is someone who, at some point or in some way, inspires hope or is the enemy of cynicism.”

Let’s awaken the superhero within us. Comments welcome…