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Der Zynismus ist meine Rüstung, der Sarkasmus mein Schwert und die Ironie mein Schild. Unbekannt, zitiert in: Jetzt
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1/5 Wahrheit ∞ 4/5 Unwahrheit
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Nur etwa ein Fünftel der Weltbevölkerung erfüllt den Standard von Wahrheit und Integrität. Das Wahrheitsver-
ständnis von Zynikern, Skeptikern, Atheisten, Attackenreitern, New-Agern, politisch Korrekten und Gutmenschen ist irrelevant, da es im Rahmen des Zwangs, der Negativität, der Unwahrheit und Lieblosigkeit zum Ausdruck gebracht wird.
Wer sich Sarkasmus und Zynismus als Lebenshaltung und Ausdrucksweise zugelegt hat, dem mangelt es an Respekt
vor sich selbst und dem anderen.
Neutralisiert und aufgehoben wird Zynismus durch nichtlineare Ereignisse, Erlebnisse und Erscheinungen wie:
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Wo Angriffe verpuffen
Ein angrifflslustiger Skeptiker
fordert den Meister heraus: | Nenne mir einen praktischen,
brauchbaren Nutzen der Spiritualität. |
| Antwort des Meisters: | Damit kann ich dienen. Wenn dich jemand angreift, kannst du
deinen Geist in eine Zone erheben, wo Beleidigungen nicht hinreichen. |
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Unterscheidung: Ironie ❄ Sarkasmus ❄ Zynismus
| Thema | Erklärung | Situation – A | Reaktion – B |
| Ironie | Aussage mit spaßhafter Übertreibung; gemeint ist oft das Gegenteil des Gemeinten | Der Zug hatte über eine Stunde Verspätung. | Du hast dich bestimmt beim Lokführer bedankt, dass Du extra lange im Warmen sitzen durftest. |
| Sarkasmus | Realistische spöttische Bemerkung mit aggressiv-kritischem oder herabsetzendem Unterton bzw. Botschaft | Der Zug hatte über eine Stunde Verspätung. | Eine Stunde später zuhause erspart Dir eine Stunde mit Deiner Frau. |
| Zynismus | Vorsätzlich mitleidlos-verächtlicher und verletzender Spott | Der Zug hatte über eine Stunde Verspätung. | Wahrscheinlich ist wieder ein Selbstmörder auf den Schienen. Wegen solcher Idioten sollte man gar nicht erst anhalten. |
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Zitate zum Thema Zynismus und Leichtgläubigkeit / Cynicism and gullibility
Zitate allgemein – Zynismus (gespiegelte Naivität)
Persönliches Zyniker-Bekenntnis
- Wenn wir jegliche Verbindung unserem inneren Gotteselement [der Seelenschwingung] verlieren, zu der wort-
losen Sehnsucht, dem Guten zu dienen und die Wahrheit zu erkennen, werden uns unsere Gedanken und unser Handeln ins Leere führen. Unser Denken wird uns entweder in Richtung Zynismus führen oder wir werden unsere eigenen geistigen Kräfte in absurder Weise überschätzen. [...]
Als diese besondere Sehnsucht und Schwingung einen Augenblick lang in meinem Herzen und Körper auftauchte, wenn auch noch so schwach, war ich angesichts all meiner klugen Ideen verzweifelt. Mein Gewissen bescherte mir
den Schmerz der Reue, auf den ich jahrelang mit Depressionen reagiert hatte, um mein Selbstmitleid zu verbergen.
In vielen meiner geschätzten Freunde und Lehrer erkannte ich auch die gleiche herzlose Brillanz und Klugheit,
was meine Verzweiflung und meine zynische Haltung hinsichtlich der Wahrheit und des Guten nur noch verstärkte.
Der Geist der heutigen Welt wird von dieser herzlosen Weise dominiert, über Gott und die endgültige Wirklichkeit
zu denken. Prof. Jacob Needleman (1934-2022) US-amerikanischer Professor der Philosophie und Religion, UCSF, Autor,
What Is God?, Kapitel 10 und 11, Tarcher, 24. Dezember 2009
- Ich fühle sicherlich eine gewisse Verletzlichkeit. Meine Sensibilität wäre nicht existent, wenn ich sie nicht fühlte. Ich darf die Bodenhaf-
tung nicht verlieren. Ich muss verletzt werden. Wer verhärtet ist, wird nicht verletzt, sondern noch zynischer. Der Zynismus ist mein Feind – schon immer. Er dominiert unsere Kultur. Diese Negativität bringt uns um. […] Ich gestehe ehrlicherweise, dass es Dinge gibt, die mich stören, die mich gefühlskalt machen. Aus diesem Grund könnte sich der Zynismus in mir ausbreiten. Ich will nicht, dass der Zynismus bei mir einzieht, denn das besiegelte mein Ende.
Video Fernsehinterview mit Oliver Stone (*1946) US-amerikanischer Regisseur, Produzent, Drehbuchautor von vorwiegend politischen Filmen, dreifacher Oscarpreisträger, Oliver Stone interview on Charlie Rose (1997) [Interview mit Oliver Stone und Charlie Rose], präsentiert von dem US-amerikanischen Fernsehsender PBS, Talkshow Charlie Rose, Gastgeber Charlie Rose, YouTube Film, Minute 21:28 und 24:45, 31:17 Minuten Dauer, eingestellt 21. Juli 2016
Empfehlungen
- Meide Zynismus. – Begrüße Möglichkeiten.
Entfernter Artikel von Bob Tschannen-Moran, US-amerikanischer United Church of Christ Pastor, Provision #423: The 12 Embraces
(How To Be Happy) [Glücklich sein – wie], Ratschlag #2, präsentiert von LifeTrek Coaching International, 27. Juni 2014
Warnung
- Es ist vor allem das mangelnde Vertrauen, das eine Zivilisation tötet. Mit Zynismus und Ernüchterung können wir
uns ebenso durchschlagend wie durch Bomben selbst zerstören.
Kenneth Clark (1903-1983) britischer Kunsthistoriker, Museumsdirektor, Fernsehpersönlichkeit, Autor, Fernsehserie Civilisation, Kapitel 13 "Heroic Materialism" [Heldenhafter Materialismus], erstmals präsentiert von der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunk- und Fernsehanstalt des Vereinigten Königreichs British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Two), 18. Februar. Mai 1969
Appell
- Hab keine Angst, ein Narr zu sein. Denke daran, dass du nicht gleichzeitig jung und weise sein kannst. Junge Men-
schen, die vorgeben, weise zu sein, was die Welt betrifft, sind meist nur Zyniker. Zynismus gibt sich als Weisheit
aus, aber er ist am weitesten von ihr entfernt. Weil Zyniker nichts lernen. Weil Zynismus eine selbst auferlegte Blind-
heit ist, eine Ablehnung der Welt, weil wir Angst haben, dass sie uns verletzt oder enttäuscht. Zyniker sagen immer
nein. Aber Ja zu sagen, beginnt etwas. Ja zu sagen bedeutet, dass die Dinge wachsen. Ja zu sagen führt zu Wis-
sen. "Ja" ist für junge Leute. Solange du also die Kraft hast, ja zu sagen.
Stephen Colbert (*1964) US-amerikanischer Satiriker, Komiker in den Sendungen The Daily Show und The Colbert Report (2005-2014), Schauspieler, Schriftsteller, Ansprache zur Abschlussfeier im Knox College, 3. Juni 2006
Schlussfolgerungen
- Es ist leicht, ein naiver "Idealist" zu sein. Es ist leicht, ein "zynischer Realist" zu sein.
Es ist eine ganz andere Sache, keine Illusionen zu hegen und dennoch die innere Flamme entfacht zu halten.
Dr. Marie-Louise von Franz (1915-1998) schweizerische Philologin, Jungsche Gelehrte, Autorin, Die Erlösung des Weiblichen im Manne. Der goldene Esel von Apuleius in tiefenpsychologischer Sicht, Insel-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, 1980, Dezember 1996
- Eine zynische, käufliche, demagogische Presse wird mit der Zeit ein Volk erzeugen, das genauso niederträchtig ist,
wie sie selbst. Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911) ungarisch-US-amerikanischer Herausgeber, Zeitungsverleger, Journalist; zitiert in: Zitate berühmter Personen
- Wenn wir uns bemühen, andere zu motivieren, beabsichtigen wir gewöhnlich nicht, den Motivierten im Sinne ihres höchsten Wohls zu dienen. Motivation ist bestenfalls das Bestreben, anderen hinsichtlich des stärksten eigenen Anliegens zu dienen. Diese offensichtlich selbstsüchtige Absicht fördert eher Zynismus statt Inspiration zutage.
Lance Secretan (*1939) englischer Wirtschaftsvisionär, Führungsexperte, Unternehmensberater, Theoretiker der Teaminspir-
ation, Dozent, Autor, Inspirieren statt motivieren! Mit Leidenschaft zum Erfolg – so leben und führen Sie besser, "Einleitung",
Kamphausen Media, Bielefeld, 15. März 2006
Einsicht
- Meines Erachtens treffen wir allzu häufig Entscheidungen, die sich auf Zynismus stützen, was wiederum bewirkt, dass wir unser Leben unter Vorbehalt führen. Zynismus ist Angst. Schlimmer noch als Angst, ist Zynismus, sich tatkräftig mental abzukoppeln. Interview mit Ken Burns (*1953) US-amerikanischer Filmregisseur, Produzent von Dokumentarfilmen, Ken Burns — Searching for the Soul of America, präsentiert von der unabhängigen, zweimonatlich erscheinenden buddhistischen Zeit-
schrift Lion's Roar, Molly De Shong, 13. Juni 2016
- Naivität und Zynismus sind der Widerpart bei der Abwehr von Schwierigkeiten. Sie sind Schachzüge, welche die
Seele verleugnen.
➤ Naivität verleugnet, dass sich die Seele zu Widrigkeiten hingezogen fühlt und den Tod erkundet.
➤ Zynismus täuscht Tiefgründigkeit vor, wobei er allerdings die entscheidende Bedeutung der Seele missachtet.
Michael Meade (*1944) US-amerikanischer Geschichtenerzähler, Mythologe, Ritualist, Männerbeweger, Autor, Audiovortrag
The Light Inside Dark Times, 2 CD-Set, Mosaic Audio, Erstauflage 15. Juli 2009
- Zynismus ist das aufgeklärte falsche Bewusstsein, an dem Aufklärung zugleich erfolgreich und vergeblich gearbeitet hat. Peter Sloterdijk (*1947) deutscher Kulturwissenschaftler, Professor für Philosophie, Universität Karlsruhe, Fernsehmoderator, Essayist, Kritik der zynischen Vernunft, 2 Bände, Band I, S. 37f., Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, 17. Auflage Januar 1983
- Psychologisch lässt sich der Zyniker der Gegenwart als Grenzfall-Melancholiker verstehen, der seine depressiven Symptome unter Kontrolle halten und einigerma-
ßen arbeitstüchtig bleiben kann. Ja, hierauf kommt es beim modernen Zynismus
wesentlich an: auf die Arbeitsfähigkeit seiner Träger – trotz allem, nach allem, erst recht. Dem diffusen Zynismus
gehören längst die Schlüsselstellen der Gesellschaft in Vorständen, Parlamenten, Aufsichtsräten, Betriebsführun-
gen, Lektoraten, Praxen, Fakultäten, Kanzleien und Redaktionen. Eine gewisse schicke Bitterkeit untermalt sein
Handeln. Denn Zyniker sind nicht dumm, und sie sehen durchaus hin und wieder das Nichts, zu dem alles führt. Ihr
seelischer Apparat ist inzwischen elastisch genug, um den Dauerzweifel am eigenen Treiben als Überlebensfaktor
in sich einzubauen.
Peter Sloterdijk (*1947) deutscher Professor für Philosophie, Universität Karlsruhe, Fernsehmoderator, Kulturwissenschaftler, Essayist, Kritik der zynischen Vernunft, 2 Bände, S. 35f, Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, 17. Auflage Januar 1983
Von David Whitford unterstützte noch unbewiesene These
- Wenn eine inspirierende Geschichte gut erzählt wird, hebt sich die Stimmung der Zuhörer. Kraftvolle mit Hochgefühlen erfüllte Augenblicke, unabhängig davon, ob unmittelbar erlebt werden oder durch Dritte übermittelt werden, scheinen biswei-
len einen mentalen "Reset-Knopf" zu drücken, der Anflüge von Zynismus auslöscht und sie durch das Gefühle der Hoffnung, Liebe, Optimismus und moralischer Inspi-
ration zu ersetzen. Artikel Dr. Jonathan Haidt (*1963) US-amerikanischer Professor für
Sozial-, Kultur-, Moralpsychologie und ethisches Führungswissen, New York University Stern School of Business, Autor, Wired to be Inspired [Wir sind angelegt dazu, uns inspirieren zu lassen], präsentiert von der Publikation Greater Good Magazin, 1. März 2005
- Nicht alles, was ätzt, ist Zynismus. Auch die reine Wahrheit brennt auf der Zunge und im Ohr.
Erhard Schümmelfeder (*1954) deutscher Erzieher, Satiriker, Schriftsteller, Denkzettel eines Zweiflers, 1954
- Zyniker sind enttäuschte Romantiker.
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) irischer Dramatiker, Dichter, Romanschriftsteller, zitiert in: Schattenwort
- Ein Zyniker ist ein Mensch, der, wenn er Blumen sieht, nach dem Sarg Ausschau hält.
H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) US-amerikanischer Schriftsteller, Journalist, Literaturkritiker, Kolumnist, Satiriker, zitiert in: Gute Zitate
- Unter den Mittelmäßigen geht Zynismus als Einsicht durch.
Joe Klein (*1946) US-amerikanisches Mitglied des Council on Foreign Relations, Teilnehmer am renommierten Guggenheim-Stipendium, politischer Kolumnist des US-amerikanischen Nachrichtenmagazins Time, Journalist, Autor, Schlüsselromon Primary Colors. A Novel of Politics [verfilmt unter dem Titel "Mit aller Macht"], Random House, 16. Januar 1996
| Referenz: de.Wikiquote-Eintrag ► Zynismus |
|
Literaturzitate
- Was ist ein Zyniker? Ein Mann, der den Preis von allem und den Wert von nichts kennt.
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) irischer Dramatiker, Dichter, Romanschriftsteller, Figur Lord Darlington in dem Bühnenstück: Lady Windermeres Fächer, 3. Akt, uraufgeführt 20. Februar 1892
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Zitate von David R. Hawkins
Empfehlung
- Hüte dich vor Naivität und Leichtgläubigkeit. Sie ist eine der größten Fallen auf dem geistigen Weg.
⚡ Dr. David Hawkins, Quelle unbekannt
- [Man] kann sagen, dass es in der Welt zwei Klassen von Menschen gibt: die Gläubigen und die Ungläubigen. Für die Ungläubigen ist alles unwahr, solan-
ge es nicht bewiesen ist; für die Gläubigen ist alles, was in gutem Glauben gesagt wird, wahrscheinlich wahr, es sei denn, es erwiese sich als falsch. Der pessimistische Standpunkt des zynischen Skeptizismus entstammt der Angst. Die optimistischere Haltung des Annehmens von Informationen entsteht aus Selbstvertrauen. Beide Stile funktionieren, und jeder hat seine Vor- und Nachteile.
Dr. David Hawkins, Die Ebenen des Bewusstseins. Von der Kraft, die wir ausstrahlen, VAK Verlag, Kirchzarten bei Freiburg, 1997
- Naivität ist die Schattenseite der spirituellen Strebenden. Viele Menschen schwelgen ausschließlich in ihren Fantasien über die spirituelle Entwicklung. ⚡ Dr. David Hawkins, Sedona Seminar Emotions and Sensations, 3 DVD-Set, 17. April 2004
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Quotes on naivety
Jesus: I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Matthew 10, 16 (NT)
Personal avowal
Conclusions
- If I don't know who I am I want some hard facts or some fundamentalism real fast to take away the anxiety of all the unknowing. CD Audio presentation by Michael Meade Mosaicvoices.org US American storyteller, mythologist, ritualist, spokes-
man in the men's movement, author, 2 CD audio set The Light Inside Dark Times, Mosaic Audio, 1st edition 15. July 2009
Insights
- One becomes addicted to the ego and preoccupied with its contents. It attracts all of one's attention so that one becomes obsessed with the mind and its feelings. If the person believes that the mind and its contents are the real 'me', then the focus is certainly understandable. Basically, this error is due to naivete. The mind is an amusement park, full of thrills and spills and curiosities. It is also the theatre of the absurd for the drama of feelings and social identifications. It is an 'act' in that it is a personal characterization, dramatization, and display.
⚡ Dr. David R. Hawkins, I. Reality and Subjectivity, S. 309, 2003
- To safely do spiritual work and avoid crises, it is necessary to reaffirm, look within, and discover one's own innocence. It really is not safe to do spiritual work unless one has a glimpse of that innate naive innocence and keeps one eye on it at all times, because that innocence is the gateway back to the Truth so one does not get lost in the swamp. ⚡ Dr. David R. Hawkins, Healing and Recovery, S. 166, 2009
- Be forewarned that that which is theatrical and ritualistic and mystical is after your naivete. That which comes from absolute Truth has no need for trappings. There is no gain or no loss. ⚡ Dr. David R. Hawkins, Sedona Seminar Realization of the Self: Final Moments, 3 DVD set, 14. December 2002
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Quotes on cynicism – mirrored in naivety
Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Matthew 10, 16 (NT)
Personal avowals
In the course of his prolonged discussions with H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama (*1935) Paul Ekman, Ph.D., a highly esteemed US American anthropologist and psychologist, has changed his formerly held position on the function of hatred and ridicule.
- In my book Emotions Revealed, I argue that hatred could in some circumstances motivate positive acts that were of benefit to the person and to society. And I've come to believe that, although that's true in the short run, in the long run hatred is corrosive and maybe it actually has a long-term harmful impact on the person.
- And the other thing I think I've become most sensitive to is the dangers of humor that involve any form of ridicule – which can be very funny, but I think has a very negative impact on the person who's enjoying
that type of humor.
Audio interview with Paul Ekman, Ph.D. paulekman.com (*1934) US American professor of psychology, anthropologist, pioneer in the study of emotions, author, Emotional Expression, presented by "Wise Counsel Podcasts", host David Van
Nuys, Ph.D., minute 35:48-36:51, 46:42 minutes duration, Downloadable on Apple podcasts – # 10, aired 19. October 2009
- If we lose all contact with this inner God element [the vibration of the soul] in ourselves, the wordless yearning
to serve the good and know the truth, our thoughts and our actions will lead us nowhere. Our thoughts will lead us either to cynicism or to an absurd overestimation of our own mental powers. [...]
When that special yearning and vibration for a moment surfaced in my heart and body, even faintly, I experienced a despair about all my clever ideas. [...] My conscience brought me the pain of remorse which for years I reacted to with fits of depression in order to cover it over with self pity [...]. I saw in many of my valued friends and teachers the same heartless brilliance and cleverness. It served to increase my despair and cynicism about truth and the good. [...] This heartless way of thinking about God and Ultimate Reality dominates the mind of the contemporary world.
Video interview with Jacob Needleman, Ph.D. jacobneedleman.com (1934-2022) US American professor of philosophy and reli-
gion, UCSF, author, What Is God?, chapter 10 Balancing Spirituality and Practicality, chapter 11 The Emptiness of Logic, Tarcher,
24. December 2009
- I don't consider myself cynical. When I was in my twenties I was a very cynical person. [...] I realized in retrospect when I was being cynical | was being exactly what the system of power wanted me to be which was to be cynical and there-
fore politically inactive and stuck in this place where I thought nothing could change. This is the complexity of dealing with a complex world. […]
I think cynicism is a self-indulgent sophomoric reaction to the reality of the fact that human beings are nasty creatures. We are nasty creatures, but we are more than just nasty creatures. Most people who are cynical are relatively privile-
ged. Being cynical is only available for people with a certain amount of comfort in the world. People who are under the boot of power don't really have the luxury of being cynical. Video presentation Robert Jensen, Ph.D. (*1958)
US American professor of journalism, University of Austin, Texas, All My Bones Shake, part 6 of 6, sponsored by the bookstore Book People, YouTube film, minute 1:42-4:12, 8:35 minutes duration, posted 31. July 2009
- I certainly do [feel] a certain vulnerability. My sensitivity would'nt be there if I didnt feel it. I have to stay close to the ground. I have to get hurt. You don't get hurt, if you're calloused, you become more cynical. Cynicism is my enemy,
it always has been. It’s predominant in our culture. It's killing us, that negativity. […] I don't want to be dishonest, be-
cause there is something about it that bothers me. It makes me callous. [...] Cynicism would breed in me. I don't want cynicism to come, because it will be the end of me.
Video interview with Oliver Stone (*1946) US American film director, producer, screenwriter, author, Oliver Stone interview on Charlie Rose (1997), presented by the US American TV station PBS, interview show Charlie Rose, host Charlie Rose,
YouTube film, minute 21:28 and 24:45, 31:17 minutes duration, posted 21. July 2016
- I battle with cynicism in myself on a daily basis and there are times when it wins, and it makes you sick. I just believe that there is a better, healthier way, and for me, history is the medicine. Interview with Ken Burns (*1953) US American
film director, producer of documentary films, Ken Burns — Searching for the Soul of America, presented by the independent, bi-
monthly Buddhist magazine Lion's Roar previously named Shambhala Sun, Molly De Shong, 13. June 2016
- I am one man among seven billion others. For the past 40 years, I have been photographing our planet and its human diversity, and I have the feeling that humanity is not making any progress. We can't always manage to live together.
Why is that? I didn't look for an answer in statistics or analysis, but in man himself.
Yann Arthus-Bertrand (*1946) French environmentalist, photographer, reporter journalist, Human. The Movie, 2015, also cited in: Filmed afterthoughts HUMAN by Yann Arthus-Bertrand – Genesis of the film, Dailymotion film, 3:58 minutes duration, posted on YouTube 12. August 2015, reposted 28. July 2018
Appeal
Camouflaged alligator
- Don't be afraid to be a fool. Remember, you cannot be both young and wise. Young people who pretend to be wise to the ways of the world are mostly just cynics. Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don't learn any-
thing. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or disappoint us. Cynics always say no. But saying yes begins things. Saying yes is how things grow. Saying "yes" leads to knowledge. "Yes" is for young people. So for as long as you have the strength to, say "yes". Stephen Colbert (*1964) US American satirist, comedian on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report (2005-2014), actor, writer, Knox College commencement address, 3. June 2006
Recommendation
- Avoid Cynicism. – Embrace Possibility.
Removed article Bob Tschannen-Moran, US American United Church of Christ pastor, Provision #423: The 12 Embraces (How To
Be Happy), advice #2, presented by LifeTrek Coaching International, 27. June 2014
Appeal – Warning
- It is lack of confidence, more than anything else, that kills a civilisation. We can destroy ourselves by cynicism and disillusion, just as effectively as by bombs. Kenneth Clark (1903-1983) British historian, museum director, broadcaster (BBC Television series Civilisation), author, TV series Civilisation,
chapter 13 "Heroic Materialism", first presented by the second British flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Two, February 18. May 1969
Conclusion
- When we attempt to motivate, we are not usually intending to serve others in their best interests. At its best, moti-
vation is an attempt to serve others in our best interests. It is this transparently selfish intent that causes cynicism
instead of inspiration.
Lance Secretan (*1939) British economic visionary, expert on leadership, business consultant, theorist on inspiring teams, speaker, author, Inspire! What Great Leaders Do, "Introduction", S. xxx, Wiley, 1st edition 23. April 2004
Insights
- We look at it as them and they as opposed to us. We don't engage because we are still too cynical.
We are still a nation that is too guided by fear. It cuts us off.
Things have become progressively worse.
We have to fix our souls.
Change is hard. Change will always be hard.
We can change the world. – Yes, we can...
Michelle Obama (*1964) US American wife of the 44th US president, first African-American first lady, election campaign speech
at the UCLA, Los Angeles, Michelle Obama speaks of Barack's values, YouTube film, minute 2:22+ 7:47 minutes duration, posted
February 2008
- I think we too often make choices based on the safety of cynicism, and what we're led to is a life not fully lived. Cynicism is fear, and it's worse than fear – it's active disengagement. Interview with Ken Burns (*1953) US American film director, producer of documentary films, Ken Burns — Searching for the Soul of America, presented by the independent, bimonthly Buddhist magazine Lion's Roar previously named Shambhala Sun, Molly De Shong, 13. June 2016
- Sarcasm: the last refuge of modest and chaste-souled people when the privacy of their soul is coarsely and intrusively invaded. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821-1881) Russian writer of novels, short stories and essays, Notes from the Under-
ground [Letters from the Underworld], Vintage, reprint 1864
- Naiveté and cynicism are opposite ends of a defense against difficulty. They are moves that deny the soul.
⚑ Naiveté denies the soul's intrigue with trouble, its wonder about death.
⚑ And cynicism pretends to be deep but it misses the soul's centrality.
- The two enemies of finding help are gullibility and cynicism. They are the two sides of one coin.
⚑ The cynic doesn't believe anything is possible, anything is good.
⚑ The gullible one believes everything it hears.
Video interview with Jacob Needleman, Ph.D. jacobneedleman.com (1934-2022) US American professor of philosophy and reli-
gion, UCSF, author, Time and the Soul, Vimeo video, minute 55:31, 56:26 minutes duration, posted 25. August 2009
Opiummohnblüte
- The derision of the cynic comes from a wound of crushed idealism and betrayed hopes. We received it on a cultural level when the Age of Aquarius morphed into the age of Ronald Reagan, and on an individual level as well when our youthful idealism that knew a more beautiful world is possible, that believed in our own individual destiny to contribute something meaningful to the world, that would never sell out under any circumstances and would never become like our parents gave way to an adulthood of deferred dreams and lowered expectations. Anything that exposes this wound will trigger us to protect it. One such protection is cyni-
cism, which rejects and derides as foolish, naïve, or irrational all of the expressions of reunion. Charles Eisenstein, Ph.D. (*1967) US American graduate in mathematics and philosophy, scholar on Eastern spiritual traditions, Chinese translator, associate professor, Penn State University, speaker, visionary author, The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible. The Vision and Practice of Interbeing (Sacred Activism), North Atlantic Books, 5. November 2013
- Psychologically, present-day cynics can be understood as borderline melancholics, who can keep their symptoms of depression under control and can remain more or less able to work. […] Their psychic apparatus has become elastic enough to incorporate as a survival factor a permanent doubt about their own activities. They know what they are doing, but they do it because, in the short run, the force of circumstances and the instinct for self-preservation are speaking the same language, and they are telling them that it has to be so.
Peter Sloterdijk (*1947) German cultural scientist, professor of philosophy, Universität Karlsruhe, TV host, essayist, Critique of Cynical Reason, two volumes, [1983] University of Minnesota Press, 1987, 1989
- Faith is not supposed to bring us easy certainty but deeper reflection, not to bring us triumphalism but rather humility, not to bring us cynicism about the world but hope that in fact even the big things can in fact and have been changed. Video interview with Rev. Jim Wallis (*1948) US American political activist, editor-in-chief of the magazine Sojourners, evangelical Christian writer, How do we address the rise of religious fundamentalism?, transcript included, presented by web portal Big Think, 1:40 minutes duration, posted 4. February 2008
- Cynicism is a protection against being hurt. [...] The antidote of cynicism is self-loving. When you feel cynical you're afraid of getting hurt. Find out which is the wound that is making you afraid. If you are cynical you are protecting yourself against shame, against abandonment, or against betrayal. Video presentation by Mario Martinez, PsyD, Uruguaian clinical neuropsychologist, contemplative psychologist, psycho-neuroimmunologist, author, Embodying The Four Immeasurables, YouTube film, minute 1:45:21, 1:48:40 duration, posted 22. July 2011
Yet an unsubstantiated thesis supported by David Whitford
- When an elevation story is told well, it elevates those who hear it. Powerful moments of elevation, whether experienced first or second hand, sometimes seem to push a mental 'reset button,' wiping out feelings of cynicism and replacing them with feelings of hope, love, and optimism, and a sense of moral inspiration. Article by Jonathan Haidt, Ph.D. (*1963) US American professor of social, cultural and moral psychology, New York University Stern School of Business, Wired to be Inspired, presented by the free online publication Greater Good magazine, 1. March 2005
The Crucifixion of Christ, Detail
Hieronymus Bosch (~1450-1516) Netherlandish painter
- Of the myriad social degradations of contemporary American life, cynicism is the most insidious. Not too long ago, cynicism was seen as a character flaw: among politicians, it was a grievous slur. But as popular culture has forsaken any muse but commerce, the media has lost credibility as a zone of ideas; and fewer and fewer systems of public accounting remain to represent and support us as ordinary citizens. People begin to feel powerless, and then they get cynical. Cynicism is no longer merely an affectation of critics and teenagers. It has become normative. Blog article by Jessica Murray (*1951) US American astrologer, psychologist, Jungian analyst, linguist, cultural commentor, writer, Pluto and the Media, February 2005
- The cynic is one who never sees a good quality in a man, and never fails to see a bad one. He is the human owl, vigilant in darkness and blind to light, mousing for vermin, and never seeing noble game. The cynic puts all human actions into two classes – openly bad and secretly bad.
Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887) Congregationalist US American clergyman, social reformer, abolitionist, speaker, Lectures to Young Men.
On Various Important Subjects, Lecture IV "Portrait Gallery", 1856
- Most cynics are really crushed romantics: they've been hurt, they're sensitive, and their cynicism is a shell that's protecting this tiny, dear part in them that's still alive.
Jeff Bridges (*1949) US American actor, musician, singer, Academy Award winner for best actor for his role in the movie Crazy Heart, 2009, cited in: AZ Quotes
- The average child gets 432 negative messages to 32 positive messages every single day.
We are buffeted with that kind of violence – the negative messages.
Once you become vulnerable truly you become very potent, very powerful because you don't have anything to hide.
We are programmed not to feel good about ourselves. We generally don't [...] love ourselves because we are pro-
grammed not to. Cynicism is a way to protect ourselves. [...] It is almost like we have become warriors and have an
armor. Audio interview with Stan Dale (1929-2007) US American sex, love and intimacy expert, transactional analyst, founder of the Human Awareness Institute (*1968), recipient of the Mahatma Gandhi peace medallion, radio broadcaster, teacher, author, 2003
- A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) US American critic
of American life and culture, journalist, magazine editor, satirist, essayist, cited in: Goodreads Quotable Quote
- The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics and cynics. [...] We need people who can dream things that never were, and ask why not. It matters not how small a nation is that seeks world peace and freedom,
for, to paraphrase a citizen of my country, "the humblest nation of all the world, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of Error." John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) assassinated 35th US American president (1917-1963), address to the Irish Parliament, June 1963
- What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them – that the stale political arguments
that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. Barack Obama, 44th US American president, inaugural address,
20. January 2009
- Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism. That you put down your divisions. That you come out of your isolation, that you move out of your comfort zones. That you push yoursel-
ves to be better. And that you engage. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, un-
informed. Michelle Obama (*1964) US American wife of the 44th US president, first African-American first lady, election campaign speech at the UCLA, Los Angeles, Barack Will Require You to Work., 18. February 2008, YouTube flim, 1:44 minutes duration, posted 25. March 2009
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- No matter the official line, true transparency is rare. Many organizations pay lip service to values of openness and candor, even writing their commitment into mission statements. Too often these are hollow, if not Orwellian, docu-
ments that fail to describe the organization's real mission and inspire frustration, even cynicism, in followers all too aware of a very different organizational reality. Warren Bennis (1925-2014) US American scholar, professor of business administration, organizational consultant, pioneer of contemporary leadership studies, author, Daniel Goleman (*1946) US Ameri-
can psychologist, science journalist, author, James O'Toole, US American journalist, Patricia Ward Biederman, US American writer, Creating a Transparent Culture, presented by the publication Leader To Leader, No. 50, 4. September 2008
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Quotes by David R. Hawkins
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Quotes on idealism
Taking a stand for what's good and true
- Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the life of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends
a tiny ripple of hope, and those ripples, crossing each other from a million different centers of energy, build a current
which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
Speech by Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968) US American justice minister, Democratic senator from New York, civil rights activist, younger brother of the 35th US president John F. Kennedy, University of Cape Town, 1966
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Englische Texte – English section on Cynicism
Etymology of sarcasm
Sarcasm is "a taunting or caustic remark, generally ironical."
The word sarcasm is a derivative of the Greek word "sarkazein", which meant "to tear flesh."
A sarcast is sneering (cutting or biting remarks to poke fun at someone else's vice or folly).
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Transformation of a cynical old miser after a series of visitations
Ghost of Christmas
representing the Present
John Leech, painter, 1843
In the middle decades of the 19th century the English novelist Charles Dickens was keen-
ly touched by the appalling conditions of poor children working in tin mines. In a fundraising speech on 5 October 1843 at the Manchester Athenæum Dickens campaigned with workers and employers to donate for children's rights and educational and social reforms.
In December 1843 Dickens' published his novel A Christmas Carol. Its main character Ebenezer Scrooge said the infamous line scorning the holiday of love:
"Bah …Humbug."
He repeatedly turned down a couple of businessmen who were engaged to collect money from him for the poor at Christmas. Scrooge pointed out that the poor were undeserving of
any more than the prisons and workhouses provided at the time.
That same night Scrooge was visited by four entitities. The first ghost that appeared before him was his former colleague. The other three represented the archetypes of the past,
present and future.
༺·༺·༺ ♦◊♦ ༻·༻·༻
Marley's ghost, John Leech, 1843
| ༺Entity༻ | Focus | Legend |
| 1st Ghost | Ghost of Jacob Marley | Scrooge's late business partner, warned him of continuing in miserly ways.
"But you were always a good man of business, Jacob," faltered Scrooge, who now began to apply this to himself.
"Business!" cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. "Mankind was my business. The common welfare was
my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, benevo-
lence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean
of my business!" |
| 2nd Ghost | Ghost of Christmas Past | He showed Scrooge how he used to be warm and generous and how he has changed into a cynical old man. |
| 3rd Ghost | Ghost of Christmas Present | He showed Scrooge that most people in the homes of
Bob Cratchit and Scrooge's nephew Fred toasted him affectionately. He explained to him how need and ignorance will destroy society if people do not learn to care for each other. |
| 4th Ghost | Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come | He took Scrooge to a vision of how he will die. |
Scrooge was a changed man after this last visitation.
♦◊♦ His meanness was dissolved. ♦◊♦ |
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Diogenes and Alexander the Great
Diogenes and Alexander – The cynic and the king
Engraving of Alexander visiting Diogenes in Corinth
Diogenes asks him to stand out of his sun.
Alexander the Great came to visit Corinth. Thereupon many statesmen and philo-
sophers came to greet Alexander and extend their congratulations. Alexander expected that Diogenes of Sinope also, who was tarrying in Corinth, would do likewise.
Yet this Greek philosopher, who was living in barrel, took not the slightest notice of Alexander. A kind of Socrates gone mad, he continued to enjoy his leisure in the suburb Craneion.
Intrigued, Alexander went in person to see Diogenes and found him lying in the sun in front of his barrel. Diogenes raised himself up a little when he saw so many people coming towards him, and fixed his eyes upon Alexander. The monarch addressed him with greetings, and asked him whether he desired any wish fulfilled from him. Famously, Diogenes replied,
"Yes, stand a little out of my sun."
Struck by this unexpected reply, Alexander admired so much the haughtiness and gran-
deur of the man who had nothing but scorn for him. In leaving the scene Alexander's fol-
lowers were laughing and jesting about Diogenes. The king, turned reflective, confided to them
"Truly, if I were not Alexander the Great, I would like to be Diogenes."
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Sketching a cynical comedian – George Carlin
George Carlin used to have a mainstream American Dream up to his thirties. He wanted to be like Danny Kaye, but he didn't like the bunny numbers. He found out that he was an outlaw and a revolutionary.
George Carlin at a book signing
Barnes and Noble, New York City
Carlin was a dropout at school and the military, a criminal, a drug consumer, whereby he had his "doors of perception" opened.
He thought his work of 40 years to be realistic and skeptical. Convinced one should "be highly skeptical of cynical behavior", he knew full well that he had a cynical attitude. Comedian that he was, he made people think – with word plays. He "believed in people over property rights." Hugely disappointed by the human race, he had a generous heart.
A complicated human being and pretty flawed, he admitted his weaknesses.
At age 67 Carlin went to a rehab facility to deal with his alcohol-and-drug addiction. His suggestion for warning labels on booze bottles was: "Alcohol will turn you into the same asshole your father was." Note: His Irish father was an alcoholic.
He believed in the non attached "The Big Electron" and prayed to the choleric, violent nose breaker Joe Pesci who delivered a 50% fulfillment rate for his pleas (by the use of
a baseball bat).
During his heavy drug phase he woke up his 10 year old daughter Kelly – still under the influence of cocaine – to tell her that the sun had exploded. Later – when it became clear that the sun hadn't exploded – he decided to worship the sun. Why? It can be seen.
Carlin fit himself into these schemes:
➤ Eat fast food on the slow lane.
➤ Be a nonbeliever and an overachiever.
➤ Be an alpha male on beta blockers.
➤ Be a raging alcoholic and a working rageoholic.
➤ Be out of rehab and in the Nile (aka denial).
➤ Be a rude dude, a lean mean, a real deal.
➤ Be hard to bluff, tireless and wireless.
➤ Be a cutting edge high tech low life who has a glide in hiy stride.
➤ Be a state-of-the-art bi-coastal multi-tasker who can give a gigabyte in a nanosecond!
➤ Be hanging in and hanging tough.
➤ Now that he is gone it’s "over and out".
At age 71 George Carlin died of his fourth heart attack at 5:55 pm on June 22, 2008.
Various quotes by George Carlin
Musings on the state of affairs
"The status quo sucks."
Musings on the meaning of life
"Just when I discovered the meaning of life, they changed it."
Musings on possible engravements on his gravestone
1st choice: "He was here just a minute ago." [1]
2nd choice: "Too hip for the room."
Musings on women
"If there is a God it has to be a man. No woman could or would fuck things up like this." [2]
Musings on men
"All the problems in the world, repeat, all the problems in the world, can be traced
to what fathers do to their sons." [3]
"There are five deadly male subcultures and they all overlap.
➤ the car and machinery culture,
➤ the police and military culture,
➤ the outdoors and gun culture,
➤ the sports and competition culture,
➤ and the drug and alcohol culture, and there is a bonus,
➤ the Let’s-go-get-some-pussy-and-beat-the-shit-out-of-queers culture.
The combustible chemical formula of this male universe is gasoline, gunpowder, alcohol
and adrenalin … and the delightful testosterone, the most lethal substance on earth." [4]
Musings on the beginning of life
"All human fetuses begin as females. The brain itself is basically female until hormones act on it to make it structurally male. So, in reality, all men are modified females. … Females create life, males end it. War, crime, violence are primarily men franchises, men shit. Deep in the womb men start out as the good thing and
end up as the crappy thing. Not all men, just enough to fuck things up." [5]
Musings on men and women
"Men are stupid and women are crazy. And the reason women are so crazy is because men are so [...] stupid." [6]
Musings on atheism
"Atheism is a belief. I am not an atheist. […] I don't believe in religion." [7]
Musings on the climate
"There is nothing wrong with the planet. The planet is fine, the people are fucked." [8]
Musings on voting
"I don't vote. […] If you vote and you elect dishonest, incompetent people into office who screw everything
up, you are responsible for what they have done. You caused the problem; you voted them in; you have no right to complain. I, on the other hand, who did not vote, who in fact did not even leave the house on election day, am in no way responsible for what these people have done and have every right to complain about the mess you created that I had nothing to do with." [9]
Musings on nihilism
"When you are born in this world you're getting a ticket to a freak show, and when you are born in America you're given a front row seat. And some of us get to sit there with notebooks. I am a notebook guy." [10]
Musings on politicians
"Forget the politicians. The politicians are put there to give you the idea you have freedom of choice. You don't. You have no choice. You have owners. – They don't want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don't want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. They're not interested in that. That doesn't help them." [11]
Musings on political correctness
"Political correctness is fascism pretending to be manners."' [12] |
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Sources featuring George Carlin (1937-2008) controversial US American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor, author, YouTube films
► [1] Video interview George Carlin on what will be on his gravestone, 0:29 minutes duration, posted 27. June 2008
► [2] Text George Carlin On Religion, presented by the US American publication Rense.com, 1999
► [3] Video presentation The Male Disease, excerpt from "When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops?", minute 1:22, 6:31 minutes duration,
posted 17. November 2009
► [4] Video presentation The Male Disease, excerpt from "When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops?", 2:37, minute 6:31 minutes duration,
posted 17. November 2009
► [5] Video presentation The Male Disease, excerpt from "When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops?", 6:31 minutes duration,
posted 17. November 2009
► [6] Video/audio presentation Men and Women, excerpt from "When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops?", YouTube film,
2:00 minutes duration, posted 3. September 2009
► [7] Video interview Bill Maher remembers George Carlin, part 1, presented by the US American TV channel CNN, talk show
Larry King Live, host Larry King, aired June 2001, DailyMotion film, minute 2:40 and 9:06, posted 3. July 2008
► [8] Video presentation On The Environment, Jammin in New York, 24. April 1992, minute 2:30, 7:39 minutes duration, posted
22. April 2009
► [9] Video presentation George Carlin – Why I Don't Vote, "Back In Town", 1996, YouTube film, 3:23 minutes duration, posted
12. March 2010
► [10] Video testimonial I Gave Up On My Species, YouTube film, 4:07 minutes duration, posted 15. May 2011
► [11] Life Is Worth Losing, 18th album and thirteenth HBO special, recorded at Beacon Theater, New York City, New York,
5. November 2005
► [12] George Carlin – Political Correctness is fascism pretending to be Manners, YouTube film, 8:15 minutes duration, posted
15. January 2016 |
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Links zum Thema Zynismus und Leichtgläubigkeit / Cynicism and gullibility
Literatur
Literature (engl.)
- Peter Sloterdijk (*1947) German cultural scientist, professor of philosophy, Universität Karlsruhe, TV host, essayist, Critique of Cynical Reason, two volumes, [1983] University of Minnesota Press, 1987, 1989
- Dick Keyes, US American adjunct professor of theology, Seeing Through Cynicism. A Reconsideration of the Power of Suspi-
cion, InterVarsity Press, 14. July 2006
- Robert Jensen, Ph.D. (*1958) US American professor of journalism, University of Austin, Texas, All My Bones Shake. Seeking
a Progressive Path to the Prophetic Voice, Soft Skull Press, 1st edition 1. June 2009
Investigating cynicism
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Externe Weblinks
External web links (engl.)
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Audio- und Videolinks
Audio and video links (engl.)
- Video presentation by Martin Seligman, Ph.D. (*1942) US American professor of psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, happiness researcher, educator, public speaker, author of self-help books, What do you say to cynics and critics?, YouTube film, 0:55 minutes duration, posted 19. November 2009
- Video presentation by Mario Martinez, PsyD, Uruguaian clinical neuropsychologist, contemplative psychologist, psycho-neuroimmunologist, author, Embodying The Four Immeasurables, YouTube film, 1:48:40 duration, posted 22. July 2011
- Educative video Cynicism was born when Diogenes rejected materialism and manners, presented by the philosophical and cultural online magazine Aeon, Ted-Ed film, written by William D. Desmond, Irish philosopher, directed by Avi Ofer,
19. January 2021
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Interne Links
Englisch Wiki
Hawkins
