Article October 3, 2016 Issue

Silence the inner cynic

Cheryl Ranson

Jesus’ disciples must have been surprised. They had tried to shield him from some small children—but he rebuked them! “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not,” he said, “for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14).

In the current run-up to the American presidential election, I’ve revisited Jesus’ words. Not so much because of candidates’ behavior or some disquieting predictions by the press, but because of my own reaction to them. Over and over, I’ve detected a resigned response on my part that amounts to cynicism. And cynicism is contrary to a childlike heart.

Twentieth-century journalist Sidney J. Harris defined a cynic as “one who is prematurely disappointed in the future.” Filmmaker Ken Burns went further: “Cynicism is fear, and it’s worse than fear—it’s active disengagement.”

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