A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing. – Oscar Wilde
Today we are immersed in cynicism because there is so much to be cynical about. The bankruptcy of politics (especially the cult of #45), the looming extinction of homo sapiens and much of the planet’s fauna and flora, the metastasizing greed of ruthless capitalism, the meaning crisis reflecting a lack of transcendent grounding among so many in our postmodern culture, the crucifixion of truth, the travesty masquerading as justice by a neo-fascist Supreme Court, the absence of wisdom in a world addicted to technology, a materialistic philosophy which tells us we are only random biochemical reactions “living” in a tragic and unintended universe—the reasons for contemporary cynicism are massive and numerous. We live in a culture which puts a price tag on everything but has no concept of the true worth of anything.
Throughout this blog I have suggested reasons for this spiritual demise of Western civilization. What I want to suggest in this article is simply this: only as we discover what really and ultimately matters can we hope to move beyond the convenient cynicism of our day and fall in love with ourselves, each other, and the rest of nature. Only love can exorcize cynicism–a love which is grounded in that which gives us meaning and purpose beyond what our eyes can see and our minds can reason.
Cynicism is a copout. It’s a lazy and/or egotistic way of going through life. Cynicism breeds indifference, apathy, hopelessness, or an excuse and opportunity to “eat, drink, and be merry” because nothing will ever change in this world. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Why invest our energy, time, and resources in trying to help create a better alternative to the “same old same old”? Let’s get for ourselves while the getting is possible and to hell with the rest of the world because nothing will ever really change. Go along to get along within a cynical and morally bankrupt society.
Postmodern cynicism is a form of fatalism which destroys any authentic sense of community because it ignores the connectedness of our world. Cynics reassure each other that there is no hope and comfort one another in the conviction that passivity and resignation are the only logical and practical approaches to life on planet earth.
And of course, these cynics are correct in their assumptions. There is no hope for a society which doesn’t know the true value of anything. What we value is what we love and who we are. The only way out of today’s cynicism is to discover the transcendent value of every part of creation, including each other. We need to fall in love with life, this planet, and ourselves. Such love will move us beyond the indifference, hopelessness, and egotism which undergird cynicism.
Healthy cynicism keeps us from being seduced by the lies which currently afflict our world. But remaining cynical while refusing to become the alternative needed to save this world is unworthy of our identities as free, creative, and compassionate children of the universe and of the God who can never be cynical about a world She has created. Trust, hope, and love are the paths which will take us from the deserts of cynicism to gardens of authentic and unimaginable delights.
In many ways, the future of humanity and much of the planet is in our hands. Cynicism may help us recognize human errors, but it can never build a different future. I suggest that for every cynical thought we have, we need to counter it with some idea of what we can be and do to allow something new to happen “under the sun.” Only intuitive, imaginative, and practical love can allow for the new birth of a desirable alternative. Such birthing is much harder than remaining cynical, but it alone signals hope for the future and dignity for the present.
For those of us who claim to follow Jesus, we must always remember that the Abba God he came to reveal doesn’t do abandonment—and as Her children, neither should we.
