Cynic / Freedom-Seeker

The 12 Spiritual Temperaments
A New Model of Religion
© Copyright 1992, 2000 by Timothy Conway, Ph.D.

8) The Cynic / Freedom-Seeker, for the sake of true freedom, detaches from what are perceived to be binding social conventions, family ties, material possessions, physical comforts, egoistic ambitions and affectations. The authentic Cynic temperament values naturalness; self-effacement; austere simplicity; unfettered itinerary or else residence at the marketplace or crossroads; unconditional contentment and happiness regardless of external circumstances; social reform to promote the welfare of all beings”especially victims of injustice (with whom the Cynic feels tremendous solidarity); humble atonement to that Higher Power which transcends human artifice and self-serving models of religion; and totally care-free reliance on this Higher Power. The outspoken Cynic does not mind “making a scene, castigating mediocrity and corruption, wherever s/he sees them (especially in high stations of power and authority), even when this entails great personal risk. The Cynic subverts grand philosophical and political schemes, explodes dogmas, and promotes a Zen-like “non-dwelling attention, freed from rigid positionally. Downside: the immature person with Cynic temperament is filled with “mere cynicism, pessimism, a contrarian personality (always needing to mismatch others), sneering antipathy toward those perceived as bound, stubborn individualism, and an egoistically-driven pseudo-shamelessness and impudence.