The Drug of Cynicism

(Friday Filosophy 9/08/23)

Happy Freakin’ Friday!

Each Friday, I send you a postcard with some homework for the weekend – usually a question, topic, or challenge to contemplate. This week let’s explore whether cynicism is hurting your prosperity.

Perhaps the biggest legacy of former President Donald Trump – and there have been many – is the profound distrust and cynicism he created not just in his followers, but many others as well.  People no longer trust pretty much anything: the Department of Justice, FBI, media, hospitals, Secret Service, science, court system, insurance companies, local police, school board, election system, or their local baseball team's beat reporter.   There is now profound, pervasive, and overpowering suspicion of governments and institutions in general.

You can certainly argue that many of these entities and institutions have done things to erode our trust. They are all staffed by people, and people are frequently guided by emotions, bias, and self-interest. The goal is to have guidelines in place so as a whole, the institutions don’t fall prey to the whims or manipulations of a few.  Most of the time this works, but there will always be breakdowns.  We should be skeptical of all governments and institutions.  But while skepticism is healthy, cynicism is cancer.

Now we've reached a collective state of hyper-cynicism that's rotting our social structure... 

Because cynicism is like battery acid on your brain.  On the surface this new reality is portrayed as draining the swamp, casting out the villains, or shining a spotlight on corruption. In actually, the cynicism has run amuck, fueled by clickbait journalism, social media, and the datasphere.  But in actuality, this cynical distrust of everything is anti-prosperity.  It causes fear-based behavior, tribalism, and endless negativity.  You pass up wonderful opportunities to manifest more prosperity, whether in the form of businesses to launch, investments you could make, or relationships you could enjoy.

Once you start down the rabbit hole of cynicism, it can become difficult to get back above ground.  Being cynical always makes you feel right, because you can doom scroll through social media and find another "gotcha" to prove your theory that everyone and everything is corrupt.  Cynicism is a mind-bending drug.  It makes you feel like a genius when you're actually a fool.

On the Monday Mojo I sent you the wrong link for the show My Greatest Prosperity Gifts.  This is an episode you shouldn’t miss, or worth watching again. You can check it out here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cepqw5jrMqw&t=22s

While you're over channel surfing on YouTube, here's an interesting look at the tech and building of the huge new sphere coming to the Vegas skyline.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3uRvJcM3z8

Peace,

-RG

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