Naive:

(1) Lacking worldly experience and understanding, especially: simple and guileless. unsuspecting or credulous.

(2) Showing or characterized by a lack of sophistication and critical judgment.

(3) One who is artless, credulous, or uncritical.



Cynic:

(1) A person who believes all people are motivated by selfishness.

(2) A person whose outlook is scornfully and often habitually negative.

(3) A member of a sect of ancient Greek philosophers who believed virtue to be the only good and self-control to be the only means of achieving virtue.



It's cool now. To be cynical. It's the in-thing for my generation. Being naive means being young again. To be a child. To have all four basic food groups covered by breakfast. With a bowl of cocoa puffs, an eggo and a 10% real fruit strawberry popsicle. Doesn't that sound nice?

posted by The Wizard



But it also means to not be worldy. And to be unable to make sophisticated and critical judgements. Do you really want that? Children are naive and can be forgiven for it. But adults trade in their naivete for a bite of the forbidden fruit, thus gaining wisdom and the ability to differentiate between good and evil. Plus, you hate cocoa puffs...

posted by Tin Man



Is that really a good thing? (Meaning the cynicism, not the cocoa puffs, but thanks for reminding me) We just learn how to not get hurt when we're cynical. How to close ourselves off. And we learn that the world is a far scarier place than we ever imagined, even without the closet monsters and freaky bedroom lurkers from our childhood. I think it might be easier in the long run to try being uncritical and credulous.

posted by The Wizard



Show me an uncynical twenty year old and I'll show you a giant squid.

posted by Tin Man



What?

posted by The Wizard



Exactly.

posted by Tin Man



Drugs and alchohol don't mix man. Don't forget that.