Oh Those Cynics

I was reading Steve Pavlina’s latest post covering self-help cynics. His description of cynics just make me nod in agreement:

• Cynics are often in denial about parts of their lives they lack the courage and/or ability to change.
• Cynics attempt to make themselves feel more secure by surrounding themselves with others who are in the same boat, i.e. people who are stuck and who don’t appear to be growing much.
• Cynics find safety in numbers.  They don’t feel secure on the inside,
  so they try to create artificial security on the outside.  This involves discouraging and dissuading others from new pursuits that might succeed.  The cynic is terribly worried about being left behind and feels threatened by others attempts to advance. The cynic in your life will take a keen interest in your maintaining the state of mediocrity as much as possible.
• By resisting change the cynic will only delay it, and often when the change finally occurs, it will be overwhelmingly strong — a massive disruption instead of a mild shift.

I thought that, wow, he’s right. Not only that, these people are EVERYWHERE. I can really relate to the 4 points above.

Point #1 is basically myself and my lack of enthusiasm at times, which I blame mostly on Thalassemia Minor and lack of proper nourishment.

Point #2 is probably what best explain the complexity behind my dearest ex-housemate, and also explains the bickering and eventual cold war between us. As of now I’m not planning of initiating any closure, even though CD is still spending a lot of time with him.

Point #4 is probably the feeling I have about CD. CD is passive, playful, irresponsible, have minimum initiative (if any, it it because of others’ expectations of him, friends etc.)

And last but most importantly, I think point #3 describes pretty much EVERYONE I HAVE MET at some point in time or another. I have SOOO much to say about these cynics. I won’t mention that most Indonesians in my college are cynics (but oops, I guess I just said it, tralala).

They are the people who ridicules you for reviewing for the exams much earlier than everyone else. The people who discouraged you from participating in any organizations, doing community service, or even from attending a particular event (that they are too self-conscious to attend anyway). They are the ones who collect friends to prove you that your path is wrong, and my aren’t you lonely walking your lone-ranger path? They are the same people who laughed when I wanted to get a DSLR or dance hip-hop for a particular event. They make it look like I am such a joke, I am a funny parody to be ridiculed, that I will never make it and I will only rock-bottom from that point on. And they will be the first to say “I told you so!” and spread the rumor when you do fall.

I have had friends like that. I have had people putting me down like that. And from what I have learned, no one has the right to judge me like that and if anyone ever does, they are never worthy of my friendship. These are the cancer of your lives, folks, so avoid them at all costs.

And since I have noticed that they are everywhere, I take it as a personal mission to offer as much encouragement and advices to the people I have met as possible. Like the girl who wanted to join the student government. Like the guy looking for work on campus. Or the other guy having trouble in his linear algebra class. Why, because if I don’t those fucking cynics will get to them first, and then these people will feel discouraged and down, and then EVENTUALLY board the mothership of cynics. I find it really amusing that maybe these cynical comments are the main reason most comrades I have from the same 2 year college go into the same  4 year college (and god safe me, most of them only applied to that one 4 year college to start of with, oh god forgive the lack of effort and motivation to excel in these cynics). Oh and I won’t mention that the particular college goes by the same name as yours truly (but oops again I guess I just did). No offense to my friends in the college, because I am not attacking you. I’m after the people who could have done better, applied to more schools but refused to because they are such cynics.

I’m being a bitch and these are my 2 cents worth, of course. But seriously, the world can do with more encouraging people and less cynical parasites.

Job like this I also want!

Be a Fool Montley Office Jester!

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