I am a cynical man... I've been thinking a lot about this lately. My history professor gave a devotions today on the importance of knowing the line when it comes to sarcasm, while admitting to appreciating a sarcastic sense of humor. Added to that, Voltaire's "Candide" has been the story of discussion in my World Lit. class as of late. For those not aware of the story, it is a rather famous satire on the idea of optimism from the eighteenth century, the "age of reason". Voltaire argues against optimism, in a rather skillful and often funny way. It's really great dark humor. The problem with cynicism is that, given time, you actually start to buy Voltaire's position against optimism, so a healthy skepticism can turn into a mockery of the world God has created. I've also come to the conclusion that my natural bent towards a cynical nature is getting hugely in the way of my spiritual growth. So, I guess I've got to try to reshape my attitude.