Tommy GS wrote:
Do you think a person can change their way of thinking? For instance, how does a cynic become not-so-cynical? How does a negative bastard become a positive person?
I think it might be better asked 'What makes a cynic so?'
We all start life fairly well in the western world, once a year various mythical characters scamper around and leave us presents, we play with our little mates and generally have little to worry about. As life goes on we have our innocence worn away and life's realities start to take hold. We start to realise that chaos theory actually works, some bugger in an OPEC country becomes unhappy, so oil goes up, an oil company (no doubt after checking with it's lawyers) decides to put the price of petrol up immediately and considerably more than the price per barrel seems to warrant. My local servo adds his cut and suddenly my kiddie is not going on that camp he wanted because apart from the extra money I have to find to get to & from work, the price for the camp went up as bus prices follow oil prices. Then some bloody idiot says 'just use public transport, then you don't have to buy fuel!' Unfortunately for me to get through my day on public transport takes 17 hours, not counting hours working. Then some clown in government (you realise nearly all politicians start with law degrees?) decides to recognise the valuable work we do by putting community services organisations on a sort of reverse indexation system for funding, so we have to do more for less in the face of increasing cost of living.
All the advertisers, (no doubt after taking legal advice) continue to plug expensive rubbish as the latest 'must have' so our kids can feel belittled by not having the latest upgrade to their x-station, or labled shirt or big brother plugged shite of some kind.
So we find an inexpensive hobby, we buy some gear and settle in to go fishing and the bloody greenies start on us, what about the poor defenceless wee fishie? I know lets lock up acres of coastline as Marine national parks, keep those bastards with their rods and worms out, yay for the wee fishies. What, commercial fisheries are stioll netting by the hundreds of tonnes, oh no we can't start on them they can afford lawyers to argue with our lawyers and it might get expensive for us, oh well never mind best we leave them alone.
Now it seems the drought has affected the cost of electricity, so our bills are about to double, along with the regular monthly increase in the water bill. (despite using less water each month)
Oh and my windscreen got broken, lawn mower died, son got his finger trapped in a door or something and who do you suppose is the mongrel who has to get him to keep the bandage on? Care for a punt as what that does for my standing in his eyes just now, not to mention how much it hurts to have to hurt your kid?
Now I've had 50 years of this bloody world, and I've been my own responsibility since I started working up bush at 14, I've seen some of the things people do to each other, I've had more than my fair share of tragedies and buried far too many friends and family. Bloody hell a man should write a book, nah folk would say it's too far fetched.
So, for myself, I think cynicism has been taught to me. Want to change it? As you grow up become on of the people to change the world, because now the system changes those who enter it, and I doubt Diogenes has ever given any politician (who started with a law degree) a second glance.
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