We’re living in dark times now in America. We are divided as a nation in ways we haven’t been for years. Many of us have just given up. Many of us have decided that the world is an unsafe, unfair place, and our response is just to ignore the grim news we get everyday. Many of us think of ourselves as cynics.
So I decided to take a look at this notion of cynicism, and I wondered if there were some alternatives to cynicism. And yes, there are alternatives.
But first, let’s take a look at the words. I recently read “Hope for Cynics” by Jamil Zaki. He starts his book by taking a look at the word “cynical” and the word “skeptical.” A “cynic” is someone who has decided that everything is screwed up and can’t be fixed. A cynic has lost faith in humanity. On the other hand, the skeptic wants proof before agreeing.
Zaki draws an important distinction between cynics and skeptics. A cynic doesn’t look for evidence because s/he has already made up his/her mind. A skeptic looks for evidence of claims and for verifiable information. Scientists are skeptics.
According to Zaki, we’re being pushed into cynical world
views these days due to three primary factors: inequality,
elite abuse, and a “commodified world” where “market
creep” takes over. He tells us that “cynicism is a tool of the status quo.”
Sound familiar? Zaki started his book thinking he was a cynic. By the end of his book, Zaki’s views about himself had changed, and I think you views may also change when you read this book.
Zaki writes, “Perhaps cynicism is a badge of moral clarity. This makes sense on the surface, but just like the cynical genius illusion – the idea that people who trust less are more clever – it falls apart when we look more closely. It actually is hope – the sense that things could improve in the future – mixed with fury, that inspires people to fight for progress, even when victory seems well out of reach.”
My personal deep concern for many years has been about the climate crisis. This has been the case for me since the mid-1980s when I first heard (from scientists) that things were heating up. Or as Zaki says, the climate crisis is a “slow motion catastrophe.”
For some time now, I’ve been looking for evidence that we can feel some hope, most especially about the climate crisis. So in addition, to Jamil Zaki’s words and his book, I add below some films and books to help us all find hope.
So I decided to take a look at this notion of cynicism, and I wondered if there were some alternatives to cynicism. And yes, there are alternatives.
But first, let’s take a look at the words. I recently read “Hope for Cynics” by Jamil Zaki. He starts his book by taking a look at the word “cynical” and the word “skeptical.” A “cynic” is someone who has decided that everything is screwed up and can’t be fixed. A cynic has lost faith in humanity. On the other hand, the skeptic wants proof before agreeing.
Zaki draws an important distinction between cynics and skeptics. A cynic doesn’t look for evidence because s/he has already made up his/her mind. A skeptic looks for evidence of claims and for verifiable information. Scientists are skeptics.
According to Zaki, we’re being pushed into cynical world
views these days due to three primary factors: inequality,
elite abuse, and a “commodified world” where “market
creep” takes over. He tells us that “cynicism is a tool of the status quo.”
Sound familiar? Zaki started his book thinking he was a cynic. By the end of his book, Zaki’s views about himself had changed, and I think you views may also change when you read this book.
Zaki writes, “Perhaps cynicism is a badge of moral clarity. This makes sense on the surface, but just like the cynical genius illusion – the idea that people who trust less are more clever – it falls apart when we look more closely. It actually is hope – the sense that things could improve in the future – mixed with fury, that inspires people to fight for progress, even when victory seems well out of reach.”
My personal deep concern for many years has been about the climate crisis. This has been the case for me since the mid-1980s when I first heard (from scientists) that things were heating up. Or as Zaki says, the climate crisis is a “slow motion catastrophe.”
For some time now, I’ve been looking for evidence that we can feel some hope, most especially about the climate crisis. So in addition, to Jamil Zaki’s words and his book, I add below some films and books to help us all find hope.
Rebuilding
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xts1LhfqNEQ
You can find this film on Kanopy (free through your local public library). A southern Colorado rancher’s world is upended when a wild fire destroys everything on his cattle ranch, including his home and barn. This quiet, meditative, and moving film is about “rebuilding” a ranch, a family, a community, and a life. I’m still trying to figure out how English actor Josh O’Conner sounds like a Colorado rancher!
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xts1LhfqNEQ
You can find this film on Kanopy (free through your local public library). A southern Colorado rancher’s world is upended when a wild fire destroys everything on his cattle ranch, including his home and barn. This quiet, meditative, and moving film is about “rebuilding” a ranch, a family, a community, and a life. I’m still trying to figure out how English actor Josh O’Conner sounds like a Colorado rancher!
| Resolve to Solve A series program (½ hour each episode) on PBS and YouTube about individuals and communities around the world finding solutions to environmental problems. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmsgpFrdAwg https://www.pbs.org/show/resolve-to-solve/ Very interesting to me was a recent episode on urban heat, which focuses on Sydney, Australia, and Phoenix, Arizona, USA. The Weekly Anthropocene subscribe at https://sammatey.substack.com/ Weekly environmental news from around the world informing us about some amazing projects. Interesting to see that many are in smaller communities with locals working together to solve problems. This newsletter is produced by an American who married a Frenchwoman and now lives in Paris. He brings us some very hopeful and very true stories. Solutions Story Tracker https://storytracker.solutionsjournalism.org/ Journalists who look for good news, not just the 24-7 bad news. |  Santa Catalina Mountains at Dusk, Sonoran Desert |
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