I'll be completely honest; the majority of what has been going on in my life, has been going on in my head. I've been thinking and sorting a lot out in my mind. I lack the eloquence to express what I'm thinking and feeling in most situations, most especially in the situation I currently find myself in. A lot of people are dealt some pretty terrible cards in life and unfortunately a lot of those people choose to be jaded. They choose to be unhappy. They look at their situation in a one-minded manner and become jaded. I remember watching the final moments of Conan O'Brien's last episode of The Tonight Show. To me this had to be a perfect example of someone who could have chosen to be jaded and cynical. And while we can never know personally how he felt, and we can never know what was going on behind the scenes, we can always remember the last words he shared with his audience:
All I ask of you is one thing: please don't be cynical. I hate cynicism -- it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen.
I love this popular example of a quality that is ruining personal lives and a quality that is possibly ruining our society. The final quote in The Daily G's thoughts on cynicism (I recommend reading the whole article for context) rings true:
...One should not respond to the ‘negative’ by becoming jaded – see clearly and don’t get caught up by ideas: by the time you start reacting against them, you’re already caught in a hall of mirrors.
I'd say a major goal of mine (along with countless people) in life, is simply to be happy. There are too many good things in life to choose unhappiness, in any situation. One of the few times I shared a room in my life was last year, my final year in college. As my roommate and I recognized we were both going through difficult situations we came up with a plan: every night before we went to sleep we would have to say at least one positive thing about our painful experiences. It was an extremely simple thing to do and as I look back now, I can tell that it helped me get through a severe part of a great trial.
Choosing to focus on the positive and choosing to recognize that in every situation there is positivity will save much stress and disappointment. Choosing cynicism and focusing on the negative will lead to heartbreak and a skewed perception of what life truly is.
