My son was born on the very day that George W. Bush decided it was prudent to invade Iraq. I remember being distraught at the lack of evidence revealing weapons of mass destruction and I remember feeling a bit, well, cynical that my son would know anything but a violent world. Who is going to teach him peace? That was one of my journal entry questions that night. At the end of the day, his mother and I would have to teach him peace, but one day he will need to learn that global peace is difficult and my prayer is that he won't become jaded or cynical in his quest to simply live out his faith in a fractured world. Let's be honest, cynicism can be a drug at times. It feels good for a while, but after all is said and done, it's a let down. 

Paul Miller, in his book A Praying Life, cautions and cares for us in his writing on cynicism. Listen carefully:

When I say that cynicism is the spirit of the age, I mean it is an influence, a tone that permeates our culture, one of the master temptations of our age. By reflecting on cynicism and defeated weariness, we are meditating on the last petition of the Lord's Prayer: "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one," (Matthew 6:13, NIV). Cynicism is so pervasive that, at times,
it feels like a presence. (p. 77-78)

Indeed, the dark side of the force in our day could very well be a global cynicism that agrees that large corporations are corrupt, politicians are corrupt, the economy is unfair, and injustice is pervasive, tolerated, and ignored. Yet, maybe cynicism is what is behind the boom in social networking or the meltdown in so many relationships. Paul Miller again is instructive:

To be cynical is to be distant. While offering a false intimacy of being, 'in the know,' cynicism actually destroys intimacy. It leads to a creeping bitterness that can deaden and even destroy the spirit....Cynicism begins, oddly enough, with too much of the wrong kind of faith, with naive optimism or foolish confidence. At first glance, genuine faith and naive optimism appear identical since both foster confidence and hope. But the similarity is only surface deep. Genuine faith
comes from knowing my heavenly Father loves, enjoys, and cares for me. Naive optimism is groundless. It is childlike trust without the loving Father. (p. 80)

So, why so many cynical people? Perhaps, we are simply living in what could later be called 'the Cynical Age'. The Dark Ages preceded the Enlightenment, so maybe Cynicism could precede a pervasive Mysticism linked to Optimism or a renewed Intellectualism based on something other than an ism. Whatever the case, Cynicism doesn't seem to be going away tomorrow or the next day. In fact, on my more cynical days, I doubt we ever leave a cynical age as long as there is sin and selfishness barking at us from around every corner.

-bo