Cynicism

Today's Thought comes from the mind of General George Patton. Cynicism is a state of general negativity, where there is a general distrust of motives. In short, it doesn't matter what anyone says, you aren't going to believe them. In this quote, General Patton articulates that a person is cynical about what he or she doesn't have. While I didn't think of it before, as I sit here looking back on my times of cynicism, I can't help but feel the truth in his statement. One of the most common topics for people to be cynical about, at least in my opinion, is love. How many times have you heard someone utter a condescending or derisive phrase about love or finding 'the one'? The funny thing is, you usually get what you expect. Cynicism just feeds into itself.

So how do you go about breaking the cycle of cynicism? In my own life I've found the easiest way is to simply stop thinking. I tend to over think. I remember back when I had just graduated high school. I hadn't left on the best terms, in fact I was quite upset at many of my classmates, the school, and just about everything that could have led to my poor exit. That summer I had the opportunity to go to Washington DC with a group of peers. Going into the trip, I had the attitude of a cynic - nothing was going to be fun, no one wanted to be around me, things just weren't going to be good. At the moment, I was overthinking.  Throughout the week as I got to know the folks around me, I came to a conclusion. I had no reason to be cynical. When I was cynical about the people around me, I simply wasn't letting them. I was lacking those relationships in my life.

When you have been a cynic (don't pretend like you haven't been, we all have at times), what were you missing? Maybe it was a friend. Or maybe it was some faith. What are you a cynic about right now? What are you lacking? Oftentimes, it is only you. You have the power to change. You have the power to believe.