Is it odd for a teenager to become LESS cynical as they grow up?

[Tropicaz]

Alot of people get less cynical as they get older, often when they go to university and see the world a bit. I became much less cynical when I was about 16 I think

 

[Yopaz]

Well, cynicism starts when you become aware of the terrible things out there and your mood darkens because the world is such a miserable place to live. Your carefree youthful days are over and you can't see anything except for the dark clouds. Then as you mature a little more you might become more reasonable and start seeing the world for what it is and you see a balance to some degree.

It all depends on experiences, but puberty usually have you in some crazy moods that eventually calm down. Of course some people live really crappy lives and have no reason to stop being cynics. Also cynicism is cool along with communism and anarchy because those make you different from the rest.

 

[Berithil]

Being cynical is what's cool nowadays (for some odd reason). I think it's quite normal for someone to become less so as they grow up. I know I was more cynical 2 years ago than I am today.

However, I have yet to meet someone my age who isn't still in that cynical teenage stage, and I'm 19. I think growing out of it depends on how long it takes you to grow out of going with the trend.

And some people never grow out of it

 

[Brainwreck]

Nah.
That's normal.

Although 'edgy emo fucker full of shit' and 'acknowledging that the world we live in is oftentimes so fucking awful it's not even funny' aren't quite the same thing.

 

[Froggy Slayer]

Mind if I ask, do you feel confident in your achievements?

I'm relatively self-confident, though I realise that I have a lot of personal flaws. I generally strive to better myself. Looking at your post, I wouldn't say that I've peeked in anything at high school; I'm pretty smart but not genius tier, I'm not the class clown and I'm definitely not the sports guy. I just have a positive outlook on life, I guess, which a lot of people that I know lack.

 

[BreakfastMan]

No, not really. I, for instance, went through a cynical phase years back, and I have only become much more optimistic ever since. I think it is a natural part of growing like. You realize the world isn't perfect, but then you start to realize it isn't complete crap either.

 

[The Heik]

I only ask because a lot of the teenagers I know become the 'life is pain and the world is going to shit and nothing even matters in the world type', and yet I've actually become more in love with the world and in general more idealistic as I'm getting older (I'm 17, if anyone is wondering). Is this an odd thing, or is it just that negative people become like black holes and suck all of the attention upon themselves, meaning that people with a more positive outlook aren't really noticed?

Rule of Angst: The whinier someone is, the more they're noticed

So no, positive people at your age aren't all that rare, it's simply they're WAY less vocal about it.

BTW, good on ya for the positive attitude. We can never have enough of those kinds of people.

 

[Froggy Slayer]

--snip--

Ah, right. I didn't have to put in too much effort to succeed in my GCSE's, but have had to put in quite a bit of effort to succeed in my A Levels. I've found that the workload is quite manageable due to my positive outlook, however. I don't really know why I feel more positive. Maybe I feel lucky to live in the 2010's rather than back in a time periods where expressing the wrong religion could get you executed. I hope that helps a bit.

 

[Agayek]

I only ask because a lot of the teenagers I know become the 'life is pain and the world is going to shit and nothing even matters in the world type', and yet I've actually become more in love with the world and in general more idealistic as I'm getting older (I'm 17, if anyone is wondering). Is this an odd thing, or is it just that negative people become like black holes and suck all of the attention upon themselves, meaning that people with a more positive outlook aren't really noticed?

Not at all. Teenagers, as a general statement, like to be miserable. It feeds into the ego-centric worldview that most teenagers have and makes them feel more important.

Most people tend to grow out of that kind of thinking fairly quickly as they grow up. Matter of fact, I'd posit that not being so overwhelmingly cynical is at least to some degree a mark of maturing.

 

[Patrick Buck]

I got cynical when I was 9. Beat that bitches.

Aaanyway, no, that's pretty normal. But I kinda fluctuate depending on how happy I am. At the moment, I'm pretty happy, so i'm optamistic and jolly and shit.
But say... 2 months ago? I was bloody misrable, and blam, cynical and hateful.

 

[generals3]

Cynicism is thought to be a sign of maturity, but it is really just immaturity plus a little bit of knowledge about the world, plus petulance that things are not the way the cynic would like them to be. Becoming less of a cynic is a sign of growing up.

Actually i'd say cynicism is the first step to maturity. When you're a child you are not conscious of all the crap going on in the world (murder, corruption, pollution, etc.) and than when you grow older you are more and more conscious of those things and since they're new they hit hard. The consequence is cynicism. But than as you grow even older you get used to reading about that crap and you just stop caring. Basically it goes from : blissful ignorance to cynicism to apathy.

 

[Thoff09]

I wasn't to cynical back in high school until my senior year. College was when I really hit my stride and realized things suck. As I've gotten older things have started to look up but frankly I think its just because I've gotten used to it (not sure if that makes me more or less cynical). I have however noticed a direct correlation to how much money I have at a given point and how happy I am, but that might just be because I'm American.

To all you depressed teenagers though, just stick with it. It gets alot better when you're leagaly able to drink.

 

[Scow2]

Cynicism is thought to be a sign of maturity, but it is really just immaturity plus a little bit of knowledge about the world, plus petulance that things are not the way the cynic would like them to be. Becoming less of a cynic is a sign of growing up.

Actually i'd say cynicism is the first step to maturity. When you're a child you are not conscious of all the crap going on in the world (murder, corruption, pollution, etc.) and than when you grow older you are more and more conscious of those things and since they're new they hit hard. The consequence is cynicism. But than as you grow even older you get used to reading about that crap and you just stop caring. Basically it goes from : blissful ignorance to cynicism to apathy.

No, not apathy (That's a VERY cynical viewpoint). You start realizing that for all the shit out there, there's also a lot of good - moreso than the shit, usually. And you see ways you can likewise make a difference and make the world a better place.

Cynical and apathic people drag idealistic aims down. Me? I consider my idealism tempered with cynicism. Nobody's perfect, deal with it. But we can all make the world a better place, as long as we're aware of the obstacles in our way.

 

[McMullen]

Cynicism is thought to be a sign of maturity, but it is really just immaturity plus a little bit of knowledge about the world, plus petulance that things are not the way the cynic would like them to be. Becoming less of a cynic is a sign of growing up.

Actually i'd say cynicism is the first step to maturity. When you're a child you are not conscious of all the crap going on in the world (murder, corruption, pollution, etc.) and than when you grow older you are more and more conscious of those things and since they're new they hit hard. The consequence is cynicism. But than as you grow even older you get used to reading about that crap and you just stop caring. Basically it goes from : blissful ignorance to cynicism to apathy.

Hence, immaturity plus a little knowledge. When you're mature enough to deal properly with these discoveries, you stop being cynical.

 

[generals3]

No, not apathy (That's a VERY cynical viewpoint). You start realizing that for all the shit out there, there's also a lot of good - moreso than the shit, usually. And you see ways you can likewise make a difference and make the world a better place.

Cynical and apathic people drag idealistic aims down. Me? I consider my idealism tempered with cynicism. Nobody's perfect, deal with it. But we can all make the world a better place, as long as we're aware of the obstacles in our way.

But it is apathy to a certain degree. I mean you can be as "green" as you won't but Climate Change is still happening, if you would still care a great deal about it it would be rather depressing wouldn't it? Heck it might even be more depressing because it is happening despite all your efforts. Same goes for murders, corruption, etc. There are so many things most people can barely affect that often apathy is the only way out of cynicism. Now i don't necessarily mean total apathy as in "you don't care at all" but more as in "you stopped paying attention to it as much as you did and learned to live with the crap".

 

[Rose and Thorn]

Wait till you hit 20 and write back. I didn't become so pessimistic until around 20/21. Then....I WAS in love from ages 17-20 so I had little to be sad about. I guess when I felt that ultimate darkness, that heartache, that broken soul feeling. Well who knows what I would have been like had that event not happened, I guess I would certainly look at things differently had my teens been different.

It isn't easy being terrified of the only important thing in this world.