Dogged by Cynicism

A shameless rejection of conventional manners and a  decision to live on the streets... 

Do you have it in you? Do you have what it takes to be called a dog? Have you ever been called one? As far as my experience tells me, the word 'dog' is a pretty derogatory term, often used as an insult: 'She's a dog', or for guys it's a twisted sort of affirmation, 'So you took her home last night? You dog, you!' 

Anyway, enough of that. Are you cynical? Well then you may want to consider yourself part of the canine brethren. In ancient Greece and surrounds, there used to be a school of philosophers known as the Cynics. Their philosophy was that the purpose of life was to live in virtue and agreement with nature by rejecting all conventional desires for wealth, power, health and fame and living a simply, free from all possessions. It all sounds very admirable. Isn't that what being a Christian is about? Wait, maybe not.

The name Cynic derives from the Greek word κυνικός, 

kynikos, which means "dog-like".

There are four reasons why the Cynics are so named:

INDIFFERENCE

...they had an indifference of their way of life and made a cult of indifference and like dogs, ate and made love in public, went barefoot and slept in tubs and at crossroads. Sounds just marvelous! No shame in that, for cynics of course.  

SHAMELESSNESS

...the dog is a shameless animal. Cynics made a cult of shamelessness, not as being beneath modesty, but as superior to it.

ON GUARD!

...the dog is a good guard. Cynics guarded their philosophy with a dog-like tenacity. As long as they were pretending to be big dogs and not pesky chihuahuas, I'm happy with this point. 

DISCRIMINATING

...the dog is a discriminating animal which can distinguish between its friends and enemies. Cynics recognized as friends those who were suited to their philosophy, and received them kindly, while those unfitted they drove away, like dogs, by barking at them. Not so friendly.

Some might be tempted to draw a few parallels between Jesus' teaching and that of the cynics'. The cynics were often seen as a threat to morality and order and just like them, Jesus was also often at odds with the authorities. Along with his disciples he was an itinerant preacher to ordinary people and asked followers to renounce family ties and material possessions. He was not a cynic, however. When the cynics' movement largely died out at around 100BC and mid 1st Century AD, Jesus' movement never did. That's because it was not just a movement. The cynics, unlike Jesus, were not good at casting out demons and healing people. Barking at people also doesn't earn you a great deal of followers either. Besides this, nothing in their teaching corresponds with the central message of God's Kingdom that Jesus brought. Where the Cynics focused on a life philosophy, Jesus called men and women to believe, repent and turn around their entire life in favour of a far richer one. Jesus may have been a threat to an acceptable order, but he was anything besides a threat to morality.