Some healthy cynicism does little to harm anyone, but deeply cynical people tend to be annoying. What should be done to avoid becoming a cynic to the core?
History and causes of cynicism
The modern understanding of cynicism has gone quite far from the ancient Greek philosophical teachings of the cynic school (lat. Cynici). If the followers of the founder of the school of Antisthenes were convinced that the highest virtue consists in the denial of conventions, material goods and social dogmas, but at the same time they considered loyalty and nobility to be no less virtues, then modern cynics simply prefer to deny all moral ideals, while not denying themselves in material achievements.
The word "cynic" is derived from the ancient Greek word for a dog. Thus, the cynics sought to emphasize their contempt for conventions and material goods.
The reasons for the cynical worldview of individuals, as a rule, are associated with psychological trauma, disappointment in romantic ideals, a contradiction between stated intentions and reality. Very often, the most hardened cynics are people who are most of all initially convinced of the inviolability of moral foundations, moral norms and noble motives. It is these people who are more disappointed than others if their ideas about the world do not stand up to the test of real life, after which they go to the opposite extreme.
In order not to become a cynic …
Of course, the modern world is such that cynicism, as a form of protection from external stimuli, seems to many to be the best way to protect against shocks. However, we must not forget that reality itself cannot be either good or bad, and everything depends solely on individual perception. This is one of the main problems of cynics: denial of positive phenomena ultimately leads to depression and nervous breakdowns.
To avoid this, you need to learn to react to certain events in the world around you analytically. Without falling into any of the extremes of emotional perception, it is necessary to evaluate what is happening from the point of view of the mind, while allowing yourself an emotional assessment, but only secondarily.
In the Criminal Code of the USSR, "exceptional cynicism" when committing a crime was recognized as an aggravating circumstance.
On the basis of such an analysis, you can form a fairly harmonious and solid system of life principles, which, in turn, will protect you no worse from the world, but at the same time will not make you angry with people. The nihilism of cynics, in principle, is the most primitive way to protect oneself from the environment, moreover, not the most effective, since even the most insensitive cynic still experiences many emotions, although he tries not to demonstrate them.
Exercises on self-knowledge will be much more practical, which will allow you to control your feelings, give you the opportunity to understand the mechanisms of the appearance of emotions, and teach you to control the depth of your feelings.
