Selwyn discusses the negative aspects of cynicism – in that it refuses to believe in goodness, it (often) sarcastically denies human sincerity or merit, and attributes selfishmotives to all acts. It is interesting that the word is derived from a Greek word, which describes a ‘snarling dog’. It’s easy to understand why cynicism is so wide-spread in today’s world, because the news media is full of stories that have at their core – selfish acts.
In his conclusion, Selwyn states: “… ‘A cynic’, one writer points out, ‘is usually the product of a culture without real religion’. If that is so then we can expect to meet cynicism in all its various forms in the days that lie ahead. Resist it. View it not just as a cause of aggravation but as evil in one of its most pernicious forms.”
However, we need to be careful with this type of generalisation – we need discernment to see when selfishness is involved and when it is not; the negative aspect of cynicism is the belief that there is no ‘good’ in ANY human activity. An activity, is not evil in itself – it’s the motive that comes from the heart which expresses itself through that activity which determines if it’s evil (an act of rebellion against God) or not. What’s your view?
Evil on trial
Selwyn discusses the negative aspects of cynicism – in that it refuses to believe in goodness, it (often) sarcastically denies human sincerity or merit, and attributes selfishmotives to all acts. It is interesting that the word is derived from a Greek word, which describes a ‘snarling dog’. It’s easy to understand why cynicism is so wide-spread in today’s world, because the news media is full of stories that have at their core – selfish acts.
In his conclusion, Selwyn states: “… ‘A cynic’, one writer points out, ‘is usually the product of a culture without real religion’. If that is so then we can expect to meet cynicism in all its various forms in the days that lie ahead. Resist it. View it not just as a cause of aggravation but as evil in one of its most pernicious forms.”
However, we need to be careful with this type of generalisation – we need discernment to see when selfishness is involved and when it is not; the negative aspect of cynicism is the belief that there is no ‘good’ in ANY human activity. An activity, is not evil in itself – it’s the motive that comes from the heart which expresses itself through that activity which determines if it’s evil (an act of rebellion against God) or not. What’s your view?