Only The Cynic Smells Flowers and Then Looks for The Coffin, by Marc LeVine

“Cynicism may seem a mild transgression, but it is a patient predator that suffocates hope, slowly, over many years...” ―Rachel Held Evans

Thinking that “the world has changed...and not for the better” is really an oxymoron, isn’t it? ?The world has always been changing – in many ways we each may consider differently. ?Change is part of the natural order of things. It is inevitable and brought on by either acts of nature or humanity. Sometimes, both forces working together for better or worse. Trending can move forward or reverse itself and seem abrupt and highly unpredictable. This is why so many have difficulty adapting to it. We often taste the sour medicine, before we feel the cure. The taste is sometimes bitter, and we try to avoid the next dose, but we many times cannot.

Fact is, we must all learn to accept a frank understanding that the world will never stop changing. We must also agree to accept the reality that we may like or dislike certain aspects of what change brings. ?

Those trying to resist change will soon learn that "resistance is futile.” ?We may just have to bend to its will and find a way to live with it and find ways to benefit from it.

Positive people quickly avail themselves of the opportunities that come with most change. Pessimists and cynics are often left to languish in their unhappiness. They tend to blame others for creating change they think will only benefits themselves. They begin not to trust anyone and isolate themselves from the rest of a world they think is out to get them.

Are you a cynic when it comes to change?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, being cynical means “believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest, doubtful as to whether something will happen or whether it is worthwhile, contemptuous, concerned only with one’s own interests and typically disregarding accepted or appropriate standards in order to achieve them.”

If you are cynical, you may have a sneering disbelief in sincerity or integrity. You may be distrustful of human nature and motives. You may also have a pessimistic view of life overall. ?Not a good or healthy way to live.

According to a 1991 study conducted in 1991, it was discovered that middle-aged men with a cynical outlook on life significantly increased the odds of death from both cancer and heart disease. Why? Perhaps, because the cynics studied consumed more alcohol and tobacco than the non-cynics. Unhappiness will do that sort of thing to many, who have already given up on mankind.

Studies also show that cynicism, and its illustrious first cousins - anger, aggression, and hostility - increase the risk for cardiovascular disease and even early death. ?In addition, cynics have a greater risk of dementia and chronic heart disease from chronic high blood pressure and poor diet. Being cynical can be both a cause and a consequence of poor physical health. Negative emotions are known to have many impacts on our metabolic, hormonal, and immune systems.

Here are some tips to avoid cynicism and perhaps to protect your physical and emotional health:

1.?????Admit it to yourself – “I am a cynic!” ?Now, you can work on yourself to improve your outlook and feel and function better.

2.?????Embrace positivity. “The glass must always be half-full.”??Look for the bright side in every situation.

3.?????Practice gratitude.?Be thankful for all you have and don’t be an “Ebeneezer Scrooge,” the ultimate cynic.

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4.?????Breathe.?Feel anger and pessimism coming on??Stop. Take a breath.?Reflect on how fortunate you are to be alive and have the things that are most important to you.

5.?????Be mindful.?Pay attention to how your thoughts, feelings and moods affect your personality and the way you look at and treat others.?No one ever deserves to have your bad day.

6.?????Be playful, even for just a few minutes each day. A little joy and fun puts us all in a better state of mind.

7.?????Limit your news consumption. The media picks its stories very carefully to create interest over concerns. They are five times more likely to report on murders than the acts of good Samaritans.?It is likely never as bad as the evening news makes it out to be in their 30-60 minute newscasts.

Reveal your true self.?Be who you were meant to be and not what you have let yourself become.?Remember the younger version of Scrooge, the Spirit of Christmas Past showed his older self??Scrooge was once a young man filled with joy, kindness, and love.?But he let wrongful perceptions of society sour him.?He became his own worst enemy and was ostracized and spoken ill of by those with joyful and optimistic mindsets.

Ebeneezer Scrooge got a chance to redeem himself. But he had already wasted so much good living well into his adult years.?We are not all visited by ghosts from past, present, and future to remind us of who we’ve been, what we’ve become and how we might end up.?We are accountable only to ourselves to accept and correct any personality flaws that others may point out to us. ?Life gets better as we improve our outlook on it.

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The Author

My Recent Interview on “Engineering Success”

Marc LeVine is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions and Learning and Development Lead at Thermo Systems. He is the recipient of the Excellence in Talent Acquisitions Award from HR Awards in 2021.

Marc's prior employment includes senior Human Resources and Staffing Industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, NJ, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, NJ, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge NJ and Plainsboro, NJ and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a New Jersey based Human Resources and Social Media Marketing firm for 11 years. Marc also served as Council President in his hometown of Freehold Borough, NJ