The assignment was to write something from the fortune in the cookie we chose from a container brought to us by the leader of the group. My fortune read:
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many things will blossom.
I don't know what to do with this fortune cookie nonsense.
I'm feeling a little cynical today. . . Am I cynical? Am I becoming a cynic? I hate cynics. They're so. . . .
Cynical.
What does that word mean anyway?
Lets check Websters.
Main Entry: cyn·i·cal Pronunciation: 'si-ni-k&lFunction: adjective1 : CAPTIOUS, PEEVISH2 : having or showing the attitude or temper of a cynic : as a : contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives. b : based on or reflecting a belief that human conduct is motivated primarily by self-interest <a cynical ploy to cheat customers>synonyms CYNICAL, MISANTHROPIC, PESSIMISTIC mean deeply distrustful. CYNICAL implies having a sneering disbelief in sincerity or integrity <cynical about politicians' motives>. MISANTHROPIC suggests a rooted distrust and dislike of human beings and their society <a solitary and misanthropic artist>. PESSIMISTIC implies having a gloomy, distrustful view of life <pessimistic about the future>.
Hmmmm.... Captious: ill natured inclination to stress faults and raise objections. How about Peevish? Ah, here it is: perversely obstinate.
What a nasty assortment of gloomy attributes to be sure.
But let us be honest. Isn't it possible that the reason that cynicism is so easy to adopt these days, is that every positive, noble human inclination has been exploited, ad nauseum by the movies and in writing and in the music industry until they have been bled dry? A condition that I'll bet many an artist, musician, writer, sculptor, fry cook, fireman, *poet, and Indian chief is familiar with.
Here, let us suck your creativity dry. Let us sell it on the open market to the highest bidder, over and over and over until the original creative impulse has been exhausted and all that remains is a heap of brittle architecture that looks like you. And for God's sake, don't wake up one day and decide that you want to be a baseball player, when everybody knows you are a basketball player..... and that's ALL you are, because we want the part of you that is marketable!
Boy. I AM cynical today. I hate to admit it.
But it is not my natural state of being in this world. I only have a cynics visa. A one day pass into Cynicism.
I shall return to my hopelessly romantic self shortly, I promise.
Because let me tell you. From the garden of MY dreams many things WILL blossom. According to my own lights. That aforementioned game only works when you let other people define who you are. I will define myself, thank you very much!
Now stand back. Miss Sweetness and Light will be appearing here any minute now. This misanthropic suit doesn't fit me very well.
* Notice I have not included poet in the same category as writer. This could be an indication of some deep underlying insecurity on my part. . .or alternately a certain misplaced arrogance. But that's a discussion for another day.
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So there you have it. One of the writers at the meeting wrote a hilarious essay, another wrote about a vampire. Of course they had different fortunes too! It is becoming a pretty interesting group. I am encouraged just hanging around with these people who don't think it's at all strange to obsess about whether or not I should have used "misanthrope's" or "misanthropic" in the above essay. There was quite a lively discussion about it. . . Word Geeks R Us!