Cynicism begins with the wry assurance that everyone has an angle. Behind every silver lining is a cloud. The cynic is always observing, critiquing, but never engaged, loving, and hoping. R. R. Reno, a Catholic scholar, called cynicism a perverse version of “being in the world but not of the world.” We’ve moved from a Promethean age of great deeds to a listless, detached age.[1] A leading spokesperson for her generation, Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez, at thirty-two years old, wrote, “Unlike our parents, we never believed in anything. Our defining characteristic is cynicism. But that’s a
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