Beyond Cynicism

Some readers of my blog know that I have been involved in local community theater at The Avenue Theatre, for many years. I'm getting ready to take a long hiatus from activities there, but I am currently directing the musical "The King and I" and I'm at the point in the process where it tends to be almost overwhelming. Bringing together nearly 50 volunteer cast (including almost 20 children and their parents) and crew members, keeping them informed about rehearsals and working around their busy summer schedules over several weeks is just a part of it. Yesterday involved a trip to seek out fabric and props and work on publicity and printing. Then there's the ever-present "vision" of the production in my head crowding out other thoughts. Thankfully, there's great team working on the project, and I'm certain the result will be wonderful. 

Sometimes something even as relatively small in the grand scheme of things as a summer musical can seem so daunting as to not be worth the time and effort it takes. I think of the great leaders and innovators through the centuries who have had a vision for change and what it took for them to impact their communities, their countries or the world. One thing they had in common was a lack of cynicism. Jesus, for example, knew not to trust certain leaders in the "church world" of his day, but he loved people and must have believed the best in humanity could prevail or he would not have gone to the lengths he did to change the way the world thinks and acts.

Cynicism is a blanket which is easy to crawl under. If we believe nothing is ever going to change or can change, it seems easiest to hide from the problems of the world and let the chips fall where they will. The problem is the chips fall on all of us. When no one steps forward to challenge the causes of the ills of society in areas where we're collectively headed downhill, then the downward trend will continue. Bad situations in churches, in government and other institutions don't turn around on their own. It takes hard work and dedication to make circumstances better. And we have to believe it's worth it. A flimsy blanket of cynicism does not protect us from anything. It's even too thin to keep us comfortable in our thoughts.

Over the years I have often been encouraged by the words of Jim Wallis, of Sojourners Magazine. A recent post of his has once again been inspiring. In it he speaks of "post-cynical Christians." Here is a brief excerpt:

"Skepticism is a good and healthy thing....Be skeptical and ask the hard, tough questions about our institutions — especially Washington and Wall Street. But cynicism is a spiritually dangerous thing because it is a buffer against personal commitment. Becoming so cynical that we don’t believe any change is possible allows us to step back, protect ourselves, grab for more security, and avoid taking any risks. If things can’t change, why should I be the one to show courage, take chances, and make strong personal commitments? I see people asking that question all the time.

"But personal commitment is all that has ever changed the world, transformed human lives, and altered history. And if our cynicism prevents us from making courageous and committed personal choices and decisions, the hope for change will fade. Along the way, I got to thinking how the powers that be are the ones causing us to be so cynical. Maybe that is part of their plan — to actually cause and create more cynicism in order to prevent the kind of personal commitments that would threaten them with change."

I'm posting the link for those who are interested in reading the rest of Jim's post because it's a good read. Let us remember that cynicism is an enemy of what is healthy and good. Stepping outside of cynical thinking always involves a certain amount of risk, but that which is worthwhile is rarely ever easy.

http://go.sojo.net/site/MessageViewer?em_id=30341.0&dlv_id=35921