Cynicism and doubt are the result of fear coupled with ignorance. I was recently listening to someone describe a way to make money with a certain type of business. My initial reaction was Thats got to be a scam. In reality, I had only heard two sentences describing the business that indicated putting money into it and making lots more money back. The reality was I knew nothing about the business itself and had not even asked before jumping to conclusions. Alas, I did finally choose to learn more about it, and discovered it was indeed a legitimate way of conducting business and that many people do this every day. Why did I jump to this kind of conclusion, and with so little information? Then it occurred to me. Ive heard a definition of cynicism as the result of fear coupled with ignorance. After hearing just a brief description, I was still clearly ignorant about the business, and I certainly felt a bit of fear that I was going to be asked to put money into this venture. There you have it, the recipe for instant cynicism and doubt. I dont like to think of myself as ignorant, but the reality is that we are all ignorant about those things we dont yet understand (This is different than the common way the word ignorant is used to describe someone who speaks or acts as if they know about something, but have chosen to not learn about it.) Next time you hear or see something that brings up those feelings of cynicism and doubt, perhaps ask yourself a few questions: Do I really understand this situation?
Is there a part of this that brings up some type of fear or uncertainty for me?
How would I react if I were hearing this from someone who I have known for year, and whom I have great trust and respect for? Would I still feel this way about it? Of course, some things deserve cynicism and rejection. The goal here is just to make sure that you dont sell yourself short by not really seeing the whole picture, or by feeling like youre on the spot about it. |
