Friday, September 12, 2008
Cynicism
I’m a natural cynic. I have a tendency to assume the worst in people, and as a result, I’m anti-social and introverted. I have an independent streak a mile wide, because I’ve learned that there are extremely few people in the world that I can really count on.
And yet, I always reflexively give people the benefit of the doubt. I don’t know why, and it’s kind of a pain. I’m supposed to learn from my mistakes.
Such feelings naturally roll over into politics. I don’t want to be forced to pay for other people’s avoidable mistakes. If they dig themselves into a hole, the last thing I want is for the government to be taking tax dollars out of my pockets to subsidize their mistakes. Mistakes are supposed to hurt. Then there is some incentive not to make that mistake again.
This is not to say I’m opposed to charity, I’m all for it. I just want to be selective and personal about it.
My cynicism and distrust of the rest of the world grew into a libertarian political philosophy. I felt that I’d rather be totally independent than have the weight of other people’s failures resting on me as well. I, in essence, wanted to be legally cut off from the rest of society. My nation starts at my property line. Trespass at your own risk.
It was only upon reading Nock that I started to break out of this mold somewhat. Not so much breaking down my walls and opening up to the world - more of understanding why I felt the way I did and learning to approach the world in a more mature manner.
Nock compares the masses of humanity to dogs. Not in a condescending way, but in a behavioral way. Dogs are only capable of certain things, and we do not expect more than that of them. We don’t expect our dogs to climb up on the easy chair, pull out a pipe, and discuss philosophy with us. They are utterly incapable of doing so, and to expect them to do so makes us the fool, not the dog.
The same is true of the masses of humanity. The masses are only capable of certain things, and to expect more of them is folly. Look at pop culture, pop music, pop fashion, look at the mindlessness of it all, and understand that it is so prevalent because that is what people want. Then look at modern politicians and political campaigns. We should not be surprised that the superficial nature of politics mirrors that of the culture.
Are the masses capable of more? Nock contends they are not. After much thought and observation, I have come to agree.
This simple observation brought me much peace. Why be angry at the masses for being foolish? Your dog is going to pee on the floor once in awhile. It makes you angry, but it’s a dog. You expect that sort of thing once in awhile. The masses are going to eat up mindless campaign fodder, randomly select a candidate, and then occasionally elect a socialist. Same as the dog peeing on the floor – it’s in their nature. To expect anything different is to exhibit a fundamental misunderstanding of mankind.
In the end, two things have changed. One, I look at the antics of the masses more with amusement than with anger these days. That by itself has done wonders for my attitude and demeanor. Two, I am no longer a libertarian. I have come to understand that cutting one’s self off from society cannot and will not work. One must either live in utter isolation, which is virtually impossible, or one must learn as much as possible about the nature of one’s society and learn to live within it. That’s one of the lynchpins of conservative philosophy – understand the people, accept human nature for what it is, and do not try to change people into something they are not.
I guess in the end, I still look like a cynic. I don’t feel like one though. Does accepting reality make one a cynic? Perhaps it does, when the rest of society has a collective delusion about the nobility of the masses.
Comments
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I think I’m still in the “cut me off from the rest of society” phase. I do interact with it, but it generally leaves me feeling frustrated, angry, sad, or depressed. The more I interact with people, the more alone I feel.
silvermine | 9/12/2008 11:17 AM CDT -
Ah, but once you understand the rules of the game, you can Play the game. We have all encountered people who seem a step removed from most, who seem to have command of the people around them on another level. They do. Through the DuToit blogs, here, and in various other places, I have been given glimpses of this, and a small breadcrumb trail to follow as I learn. Society is not altogether different than individual people, or seducing a mate. If you treat the civilized world around you as an inflatable sex toy to be stuffed under your bed when no longer needed, similar results can be expected.
The modern society is isolation, everything has becom pay-per-transaction and available 24/7.
ILTim | 9/12/2008 12:49 PM CDT -
A colleague once remarked to me after a similar sort of discussion, “You think pretty highly of yourself, don’t you?”
I had to think about that a bit so I could be sure to give an honest answer.
“No. I just think poorly of everyone else.”
I have pretty low expectations, too. It’s why I’m not a fan of unlimited democracy. Personally, though, I’m not sure any system can be permanent. I think everything’s pretty cyclical with longer or shorter cycles.
Weetabix | 9/16/2008 11:30 AM CDT -
rsgevayb | 10/23/2008 03:35 PM CDT
