Late maundering

[lysana]

Is cynicism truly the opposite of naivete, or is it merely a rebellion from it?

Comments

[emberleo]

Opposite meaning other extreme?

--Ember--

[wolfs_daugher]

Rebellion? Or is it a backlash reaction?

Sparrow

[pope_guilty]

My cynicism is the product of an idealism that is betrayed and spat upon by reality at every turn.

[klgaffney]

depends on who's the cynic and why? if it's a baseline way of thinking, or if it's yeah, a reaction to what one would normally think, as a means of protection, and how it's used? a clumsy shield, a weapon used to attack, or simply an offshoot of the way one's head works. sometimes me logically pointing out that [this] course of action is too idealistic and simply won't work, due to [this] being the pattern of how people do things, is derided as being too cynical.

altho i think, in my case, it's more like a calloused palm. part protection developed over the course of years from childhood, based on experience, and just as much a part of me as my own skin. it's a challenge to be properly gentle, but on the other hand, i'm able to stand up to a lot of abuse working the field.

[merle_]

You can be cynical and naïve at the same time. My parents tell me I was born cynical, and that even when I was two I didn't really trust them when they told me things. I was pretty naïve when I was two...