When somebody accuses me of being cynical, it is difficult to keep that smirky smile from showing up on my face. I am one that takes pride in being somewhat on the edge of everything, so I wear that cynicism label like a badge of honor. Like all human actions, the correct use of a symbolically negative thing can add punctuation to an idea. Have you noticed that when ordinarily civil people use profanity it raises attention to the words that they are saying? A good healthy “shit†or “damn†at the conference table may raise eyebrows, but it is like painting the air with a yellow highlighter to show the important stuff for people to remember. The problem is when cynicism is uncontrolled and emotional rather than aimed at a concept that is stuck in a rut. Internalizing cynicism creates a negativity that can be personally counterproductive.
I am also fascinated by the origins of words. Cynicism as a philosophy is one of the ancient Greek teachings founded by Antisthenes that saw virtue as the only thing necessary for happiness. By rejecting all desires for wealth, power, sex, and fame they sought happiness in a simple life. Through reasoning, humans should be able to live in such a way that was totally natural and unencumbered. The modern form of cynicism grew from the idea of being contemptuous toward social norms. A true cynic will question the validity of anything derived from rote ritualism, conventional wisdom, and often generally accepted morality.
- Capturing the essence of cynicism without negativity – Using the profanity analogy again, anybody who drops the F’ bomb with every other word will not be able to show any degree of difference by using it to punctuate a meaningful thought. Likewise, cynicism coming from someone with the reputation for being just a total curmudgeon that is negative about everything will not find cynical references making any difference. Is there a time and a place for everything? In this case probably so. A negaholic is not a good spokesperson for cynicism because they will never be taken seriously. Projecting negativism on others builds a wall against change when the intent is to facilitate change.
- Conquering cynicism by making it a personal tool – Uncontrolled cynicism can become a demon that can not only be fearful to those around the cynic, but also spreads like a cancer internally. To effectively use cynicism to challenge established practices for the good, it is necessary to pick and choose the proper battles. Armed with the knowledge that the current norms are archaic and going nowhere, cynicism can be the spear to prod others into believing in change and also the shield to protect from being sucked back into the abyss of conformity. Considering cynicism as only one of the tools to implement change means recognizing that other tools may also be more appropriate at times. I can smash a board in half with a hammer, but a saw may have been more appropriate.
- Cultivating cynicism as an art form – Cynicism challenges the basic beliefs of many people, so it takes practice to exercise this methodology so that it can be taken seriously and can be used in implementing change. Change for the sake of change is not progress. In order to seriously challenge a concept or practice, the practitioner of cynicism must be knowledgeable in that area. Criticism without cause is not as effective as reasoning that the conventional way of doing something can be improved. The best critics of the recruiting process are cynical recruiters and recruiting managers. Changes to traditional Kumbaya-singing-campfire-sitting-smores-toasting human resources practices are best led by cynical HR generalists.
While this is an essay on cynicism and I am proud to be a cynic, the world does not need for everybody to subscribe to being cynical. Cynics don’t band very well with other cynics in the wild and this makes total sense. After all, when all the non-conformists begin to join together they become conformists and their impact fades away.
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