When exactly did cynicism become cool?
I should have asked this question long ago, yet some changes
occur too subtly for anyone to pay much notice. How did it happen? There was a time when people resisted any attempt to shake the certainties around them. They detested unsettling statements; they would never consider the possibility that we’re only staying alive because we’re scared of dying- and feel compelled to keep justifying our choice on a daily basis.

Now, however, it’s so cutting edge. They approve. They encourage. Soon, catwalk models will be walking around with bubbles next to their heads, saying “Together we Starve” or, even better, “Buy
You Idiots”. Bibles will have “Lies” written on their covers and priests will demand bigger salaries or go on strike. Political campaigns will carry incredible slogans, such as “We’ll Take Your Money. We’ll Make Everything Worse.” As for bombs, they’d probably come with “Life Sucks Anyway” printed on them (hand-grenades are smaller so “Oups, Sorry!” should suffice.)

Anyway, all I wanted to say was…it is not fun anymore. I much preferred it when they used to think I was simply a disoriented
little kid, who said no to everything- and listened to the wrong kind of music. I mean, the whole point was to question what they took
for granted, to pull the ground from under their feet, not merely to follow the latest trend.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t see my self as a superior being. Rest assured I’m not Socrates reincarnated. And I don’t have the slightest desire to teach anybody anything (that’s what cynicism is all about, right?). It’s just that, throughout my life, I’ve had the shadow of doubt cast over me. So, I assumed things would be easier, if only I could share this sense of ever-present ambiguity.
Yet, alas, that is no longer possible.

Unless, of course, I switch to something else entirely. Polish my existentialism. Talk about the magical forces of the universe.
About the human capacity to take our destiny in our own hands.
The meaning of all creation. Dragons. Unicorns. Elegant polar
bears. Carbon-emitting flying carpets. Transsexual angels.
Fairies addicted to crack… OK, I’ll stop now, for obvious reasons. Let us stick to what we know best.