Distinction: Cynicism vs. Wisdom

Cynicism is not the same as wisdom.

Both come about from experience, but cynicism is precisely the result of one who has been disillusioned by their experiences, usually of selfishness and evil. Because of this conditioning, the cynic views all activity or tends to reduce all activity to this core motive of selfishness. Wisdom is never disillusioned because it is never surprised. Usually disillusionment carries with it resentment because the cynic feels compelled to give up his original ideals. Wisdom, on the other hand, sees all things move according to their limitations and must be guided by higher actualities and that resentment stems from selfishness itself. Honesty is a cure for resentment.

Wisdom is the intuitive grasp and unity of higher principles and their relation to particulars. It comes about from experience as well but never loses sight of the final goal, which is fundamentally (or ontologically) good because a being is positive in nature rather than negative (a being is rather than is not although there are respects in which a being is not, but these result from the semiosic process and a metaphysical analysis of potentiality, for example).

Hence, wisdom acknowledges the existence of selfishness but is not disturbed by such nor does it reduce all activity to such a principle because it maintains its firm grasp on the actual complexity of particular behaviors, and the unity it brings does not fluster it precisely because peace and unity coincide.

Wisdom is the source of all compassion because wisdom sees the current state of abjection, the final goal to attain, the means to attain it, the current lack, etc. Wisdom also brings love because all being is united by love insofar as all being is created by the Divine Love and held together in relations of mutual fecundation.

Hence, the moment a cynic expresses compassion, the cynic in that moment absolutely ceases to be a cynic, for in cynicism itself, there is no room for compassion, only despair. Despair because it forgets the ideal and the means to achieve the ideal.