The Personal - A Cynicist
Thomas Hardy - A Personal Journey
cynicism - a realistic view peppered with sarcasm
pessimism - thinking of the worst things or focusing on the bad
optimism - thinking positively or focusing on the good
I've always felt people were foolish morons since the beginning. (Perhaps King Alexander was brilliant, but we don't really know, even if we do know his background.) People then wrote their attitude in the annals of history. Seeing events happen again and again without learning from past mistakes or historical events bring to mind Jeremiah 10:23, and Ecclesiastes' remark that "man has dominated man to his injury". I, however, only feel optimistic if I am continually reminded of it, which is why I enjoy reading Bible literature wit ha promise of a new world full of 'righteous and meek people' with the 'wicked forever done away.'
I noticed that many of the poets felt the same in regards to the subject of their poems. It is easy to see in the course of literature the cycle of optimism, pessimism, cynicism, and repeat. Most of the time literary history is a cycle, other times it could be a limacon. Deor reminds us we are not alone in our suffering, which can bring optimism and comfort in groups in moments of pessimistic outlook, but is also a cynical reminder of the history of mankind which hasn't progressed at all from three thousand years ago, "missing link" or not. Grendel and Beowulf together discuss our destiny, the former of which is a cynical, bordering pessimistic, view of the world with the shattering of (Grendel's) innocence, but the glory and story of Beowulf is a story of legends for people to remember and enjoy, to aspire and aim. The medieval period, I believe, was not as heartwarming because most of the people at the time in Europe were caught in the fear of the wrath of God - as can be seen in the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", but the little efforts for change in social writers provides light for people to speak out and not be defined by strict gender roles. The Canterbury Tales provides a cynical, sarcastic but ever so true verse of the Medieval period. Shakespeare provided a character sketch, most of which was morbid than anything else, but strikes home even today: if we can decipher his meaning, that is, for ourselves instead of depending on SparkNotes or teacher translations.
Literature became thoughtful and upbeat due to the Romantic period's motif of nature and positive thinking of the unlimited reach of man after the scandals and satire, reasoning and analysis of the Enlightenment, or Age of Reasoning. I appreciated Wordsworth and Keats, who simultaneously accurately portrayed the woes of humankind and individuals, and yet brought out a profound understanding of parts of life which can uplift. The daffodils and valleys of nature are like rays of sunlight during the dark night of depression, or the gloom of cement and steel. The passage of time and eternal youth provide a beautiful outlet for us to curse our aging, or forgetfulness, our state of affairs. However, Mr. Scotese pointed out something profound - more people "look upon", or read, Ode to a Grecian Urn, so humans do and can reach kleos even after all of the Greek heroes with those same ambitions have died. Within Romanticism and Enlightenment thinking, a struggle highlighted in Arcadia, the literary produce is swamped with the oscillation of optimism sweeping into cynicism, and then dropping down to pessimism, and afterwards retracing its path upward.
Moreover, many recent and modern poems and songs contain sad notes, which birth cynicism because they themselves are cynical, addressing a particular wrong. One example is the song Yellow Taxi. Yet, there are other songs that uplift and are a 'lamp to the roadway'. There is always hope. Thomas Hardy's collection of poems are more sorrowful and cynical, but what isn't written in the text is just as important as what emotions the text induces: the other side. I as the reader then falls again in the pendulum of perspectives.
The course of the year has taught me that hope (optimism) and bleakness (pessimism) are intertwined, and a couple of opportune doses of cynicism is just as necessary. The most cynical person nurtures in the deepest part of their body - say, their kidneys - a hope for better days. So we really can't label everything as black and white of optimistic and pessimistic, nor can be so shocked as to label a commentator as cynical for speaking the truth. These things are constants in humanity that has been recorded more fully in the last quarter of human history. While things may never seem to get better, there is always hope for an ending and relief. A pessimist can't last without a little hope, nor can deny being hopeful, and an optimist cannot last without falling in a pit of doubt. In the same way, a cynic would throw caution and prediction to the wind, and follow the eyes of man. All are necessary. Within the motion of the oscillation, man must find his own balance - I must find my own path, and my own place in the swing.