Cynicism isn't all bad...

If you had once undergone the emotional pains of a heartbreak, gotten fucked over by someone you thought was a great friend, got duped, double-crossed or sauced by a partner in business, and now you find yourself doubting the sincerity and motives of human beings, I say fair enough; once bitten, twice shy. In fact, where I come from, it is believed that having a trace of cynicism is a shield (nyow njorta dinai faral di wattu borom). The saying in Nigeria is: "person wey madman don bite before, if im see mechanic he go take off."