Cynicism

Cynicism is not an either/or attribute or skill: it is not either good or bad, and we need to skillfully use it learning that it is both/and instead...it is both protective and destructive. 

I perceive that few items are exclusive in life.  Salt is amazing; too much is deadly.  Cynicism is like salt. When we use cynicism as a filter, we employ it skillfully. When we use it as a decision-making mechanism, we likely cheat ourselves and others. Using a filter of cynicism helps us look beyond our own confirmation bias; walking in cynicism makes us closed off and unapproachable. Using a filter of cynicism helps us think like an antagonist; walking in cynicism robs us of emotional intelligence and creates an environment for us to become the antagonist. 

I heard a quote; a Google search doesn't yield an originator. I've committed this to memory already. Thanks Anthony DiFabio for sharing it with me, and Zamroz for sharing it with him: "If you look through everything, you will never see anything."

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