Hi, it's Sam. Welcome to Radio Headspace and to Monday.
Over the years that I've taught mindfulness, I've encountered a lot of cynicism.
For example,
I've met many people who believe that heart-centered practices like loving kindness and gratitude were just a waste of time.
And I get it.
On the surface,
it can seem pointless to send silent and private wishes to someone who lives thousands of miles away.
But tapping into our compassion is valuable.
And while I can understand cynicism, I try to be skeptical instead.
Skepticism comes from the Greek word skeptikos, which means to inquire or find out.
And it invites us to question what we're told and adamantly seek truth.
Initially, I thought the word cynical described someone who decided to be cranky,
someone who saw the world from a glass-half-empty perspective.
So I decided to be skeptical,
questioning this assumption and finding out more about the roots of cynicism.
And I was fascinated by what I learned.
It starts with a man named Diogenes, who lived in ancient Greece.
In the story,
he created counterfeit coins and was stripped of his citizenship and all of his possessions.
He found that if he decided to shed societal norms and expectations,