It always amuses me to hear pompous folk making disparaging remarks about cynicism. They call it “sad” or “foolish” or even “stupid”, demonstrating that they have absolutely no idea of what they’re talking about and are afraid to admit the truth about the world. In truth, there is absolutely no conflict between cynicism and idealism, and if someone portrays them as opposites they’re merely demonstrating their inability to separate the physical realm from the spiritual. If you’ve been reading my work for a while you may have noticed that despite my dyed-in-the-wool cynicism, I am quite idealistic. This does not mean I swing back and forth between the two, nor that my cynicism results from “disappointed idealism”; I learned to see the world as it is, rather than as I would like it to be, around the time I stopped believing in Santa Claus. What it means is that I recognize the actual meaning of the word “ideal”, and understand that it’s the people who expect the world to conform to their own personal view of morality who are the sad, foolish, naive ones. Though I expend tremendous effort to do what is right, and to speak truth to power, and to fight the evils which seek to reduce all individual souls to cogs in the machine of “society”, I labor under no illusion that my efforts will change the world in any permanent fashion; even if a culture arose which accepted all that I believe as sacred truth, that culture would be as mortal as any other and would eventually be replaced by another awful one. The secret to balancing realism and idealism is understanding that morality is independent of results or even recognition. I know when I die, tyrants and other control freaks will make an effort to bury my writing & activism along with my ashes and reduce me to “dead whore”. And even if that effort succeeds, it won’t matter because I don’t do what I do for recognition or reward or even the belief that I can make the world a better place; I do it simply because it is right. Even if mortals forget what I stood for, the gods will remember. And even after they forget the fact will still remain as an infinitesimal but beautiful part of the fabric of time, long after the earth and sun are nothing but scattered debris recycled into other worlds.
Its Own Reward
January 11, 2019 by Maggie McNeill
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That was beautiful. I always say not many people have integrity, which to me, means you do the right thing even when you don’t get credit for it. You can visually see honesty. And some people are honest just because it is something that can be weighed whereas integrity is something harder to weigh. But at the end of the day I have to be able to look into a mirror and be OK with me.
Brava!
Ah, yes. Real morality is not result-driven, it is intent-driven. In fact, quite a bit of “morality” that is result driven is just plain old behavior control for reasons that have nothing to do with actual morality.
Totally agree. That’s why an honest person may just be honest for societal reasons whereas a person with integrity is honest because it’s who they are and it is right.
I may be a whore which some would say lacks morals but I would trust me a helluva lot more than 95% of the population.
Don’t judge a book by its cover or in this case don’t judge someone for the (sex)work they do.
This is how I explain to people how I “can” do what I do. First, I have a big heart and really care about people but I say …..I love tennis. I have a partner to play tennis with. Wea play great together, can anticipate each others moves, etc… well for work I play tennis with other people. I may prefer to play w my partner but I play well with others too….
What’s funny is I don’t even play tennis. I just used it once as an analogy and it stuck. Sorry Maggie, I will get off the soapbox.
The past, the present, and the future all coexist simultaneously. Time is but an illusion. So, in effect, if you do right it is forever. 🙂
Amazing and beautiful.
A cynic is an optimist who’s been burned once too often. They are still optimists at heart, but they’ve quit wearing rose-colored glasses, and see the world as is, with a profound hope that they might make it better for those who around them during their lifetimes.
A great statement Maggie.