Why you have to actively fight cynicism

Excerpt from 10 Learnings from 10 Years of Brain Pickings by Maria Popova:

Don’t just resist cynicism — fight it actively. Fight it in yourself, for this ungainly beast lays dormant in each of us, and counter it in those you love and engage with, by modeling its opposite.

Cynicism often masquerades as nobler faculties and dispositions, but is categorically inferior. Unlike that great Rilkean life-expanding doubt, it is a contracting force. Unlike critical thinking, that pillar of reason and necessary counterpart to hope, it is inherently uncreative, unconstructive, and spiritually corrosive. Life, like the universe itself, tolerates no stasis — in the absence of growth, decay usurps the order. Like all forms of destruction, cynicism is infinitely easier and lazier than construction.

There is nothing more difficult yet more gratifying in our society than living with sincerity and acting from a place of largehearted, constructive, rational faith in the human spirit, continually bending toward growth and betterment. This remains the most potent antidote to cynicism. Today, especially, it is an act of courage and resistance.

Notes:
(i) This is particularly relevant to startups and growth companies, because they are built on a foundation of optimism — optimism that the future will offer opportunities, optimism that the company can succeed, optimism that the company can deliver value that doesn’t yet exist. Cynicism eats away the foundation of a startup or growth company.
(ii) For more on building company culture, see To build a great culture for your startup, be explicit, and Dick Costolo on company culture.