The Fading Pink

I'm finally ready. Ready to join the legions that have taken to the burgeoning Blogosphere (note the clever alliteration :P), ready to get the presses rolling, ready to share some thoughts on... well... more thoughts.
I bet you vets (who have unfortunately happened to stumble across or have purposefully been directed to this page :D) out there are probably rolling your eyes, looking all too disdainfully at the newbie, wondering how many more of such hopeful novices who think they have latent writing skills, that were all too well hidden till right about now, you'll watch come and go.

Rather cynical start for a first post isn't it? Good. It sets the stage for what I'd like to continue on. If you look around, you'll notice a growing majority, especially the young adults (and fast joining them the pre-adults or post-teens, or whatever is the term of choice nowadays), have this aura of cynicism about them, a veritable cloud of gloom. Now don't get me wrong, I don’t mean that "dark" phase most teens go through revelling in self pity, finding perverse solace in the make believe fact that the world is out to get them. I'm trying to explore just how that very treasured feeling of contentment seems to be rapidly fading from our lives and why we’ve become a society that is so distrustful.

Now here are the few theories I have on why there seems to be an upward trend in this general attitude of skepticism, I leave them unanswered because I’m still trying to sift through them myself:

1. Evolution: It’s not like folks back in the past were happy as clowns (who as a matter fact, and rather ironically, I find more scary than funny) on dope, sure they had their share of problems, but by and large they were satisfied, happy. Was it because they didn’t know any better? We might be tempted to think so. It's a known fact that smarter people are less happy. Why? Well, think about it, if you knew what all you could have, would you want to settle for less?
2. We take ourselves too seriously: Are we mistaking maturity for cynicism? Have we started believing that to be wise is to be dismissive of frivolity?
3. The Irony of Masochism: Nothing conveys this thought as well as an oxymoron: do we enjoy being unhappy? Do we feel guilt in being happy all the time?
4. Cool Factor: Allure of the Angry Young Man? Are we falling prey to notion that cynicism sets you apart, lends an air of being oh-so-hip?
5. Trapped: Is it but natural that we adapt to the situation we’re in? Is mankind really going to the dogs? In this age of use-n-throw have we not spared man either? Have we learnt better than to expect anything good?

I, personally, am quite partial to cynicism and it’s more socially acceptable cousin, sarcasm, I like reading between the lines, not taking things at face value, analyzing and reanalyzing things, believing we aren’t doing enough and that there’s always a reason.

Why? I’m not sure. But in a world where everything’s complicated, right from the all encompassing Universe down to a minuscule cell, it’s hard to imagine that words and actions would be so simple as to mean just what they appear to. Then again that’s one man’s opinion, and I’m sure there’ll be plenty who'd say, if you go looking for trouble you’re sure to find it!
I don't mean to imply that every deed is an attempt at subterfuge, merely that there usually is a less obvious, subconscious even, reason, good or bad, for the things we do or say.

Then of course there’s Murphy’s law: If something can go wrong, it will. It has truly stood the test of time, held good in almost every situation and you just can’t argue with the facts!
To close, I borrow from a friend who adds a twist to a famous quote: Plan for the best, expect the worst!

PS : For an interesting read, albeit a rather biased view, on this fascinating phenomenon (for those of you I’ve managed to lure to the other side :P), I would direct you to - The Cynics Sanctuary (don't miss the definition at the top).