One man finds the world a little too cynical

It's really easy to be cynical.

Every day someone is promising us something. Just take a look at your e-mail account. There are probably hundreds of completely ridiculous promises about how you can make money, improve your health and your love life, buy Canadian drugs and a few scams just to make it fun. 

These are the obvious promises. Turn on your television and you'll see dozens of promises. You have beer companies promising a fun time if only you would buy their beer. You have people promising to give you good advice, to help you with your laundry, dinner, cleaning, credit, insurance and driving. Someone, somewhere, is willing to give you something for nothing with no strings attached, except for a two-year contract with a 80 percent interest rate and $300 in annual fees and the exclusive rights to your first-born.

OK, I'm exaggerating a little bit. I don't think people are asking for your first-born.

Not only is it easy to be a cynic, it's cool too. How many times do you hear someone casually say, "None of the movies are good any more," or "Don't believe everything you read," or "You like that?" To borrow from a Ben Folds Five song, it's become a race to win the battle of who could care less. (Although I do want the fine pewter portraits of General Apathy and Major Boredom.)

I even dabble in it a little bit. It's fun to be hip and dismiss whatever people happen to like at the moment.

But I try not to indulge in it. It's too easy to dismiss everything as selfishness. It's too easy to believe people don't care about anything but feeling good. It's too easy to think everyone else is lazy, stupid or greedy. It's too easy to believe I am the only person who understands the way the world really works.

I recently turned 34, and I've found it harder and harder really to be cynical. I mean really cynical. The type of cynical where I believe I have all of the answers and everyone who doesn't agree with me must not understand why I'm right.

I'm starting to think most people, with rare exceptions, really wants to be good people. They really want to take care of their families. They really love their parents, children, spouses. They really want to be good at their jobs.

Most people are like me.

Here's my problem with the über-hip, canned cynicism I see tossed around. It is divisive and dismissive. It means people can't have different opinions. It breeds an "I'm right and you're wrong" culture which doesn't accomplish anything.

Well, except for breeding more cynicism.

 Cameron Probert is the Columbia Basin Herald county reporter.  His coworkers see his optimism displayed daily with his faith in - and affection for -  well-used cars.