Cynicism Is Not All Bad

Common Sense Commentary:

The word "cynic", like the word "vulgar" and the word "liberal", has more than one definition. "Vulgar" originally meant "The common people"(Webster's #1 definition) but now means "obscene and profane"(Webster's #4). Similarly, the word "liberal", according to Webster: #1 "unrestricted free thinker", #2 "generous, free handed", #3 "unrestrained, unchecked, lawless, licentious". Likewise,the word "Cynic" can either mean you believe, "#1 virtue is the only good, and its essence lies in self control and independence" or, it can mean you are "#2 a violent critic of social customs and current philosophies" or, that you are "#3 one who believes that human conduct is motivated wholly by self interest".

All of the above definitions are given in my faithful, old, true blue Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary. As in Bibles, I prefer the oldest, most accurate and trusted versions in Dictionaries.

The first definition of "cynic" listed as #1 in my dictionary is, "a Greek school of philosophers who taught that virtue is the only good, and its essence lies in self control and independence", degenerated, over time, so that "cynics" were said to be, by their opposites, "violent critics of social customs and current philosophies". Whether that definition was true or not depends on which side wrote the history books of those times. At any rate, the word "cynic" has now degenerated into the totally negative connotation of "distrustful, faultfinding critic". Even with that definition, being "cynical" is not always, altogether a bad thing. For instance, if you lived in Germany in the 1930's and you were not a "distrustful, faultfinding critic" of Adolph Hitler and his NAZI cohorts, you were either gullible, ignorant, immoral or all three. The same would be true concerning Joseph Stalin and Communism. In my opinion, it is also true in our nation today. We are precisely where Germany was just prior to Hitler coming to power after the German currency was debased by the out of control printing of money to pacify the people. Anybody who is a citizen of our country who isn't now "cynical" concerning most Politicians, Central Banks, Wall Street and the Main Line News Media fits the above description ..... "gullible, ignorant immoral or all three".

Remember, the original cynics believed that "Virtue is the only good and that its essence lies in self control and independence". Our country needs a revival of "virtue, self control, and independence". That won't happen without a spiritual Revival of our national motto, "IN GOD WE TRUST" and THAT won't happen if we leave out Jesus Christ.

Pass It On. RB