People with very negative worldview will often be competitive about their misery, trying to outdo other people’s sadness. Cynics are, by definition, pessimistic about life and you need to watch out for those who constantly, even gleefully, talk about their failures and sadness. Anyone who criticizes the failures of others, or seems overly cynical, might have a toxic personality worth avoiding because people who are motivated purely by self-interest can’t be fully trusted. Cynical people tend to be sarcastic. Their humor is biting and often caustic. Sarcasm rarely, if ever, serves God’s purposes. “If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (Galatians 5:15). Cynicism is a product our fallen nature, not the fruit of the Spirit. We are sinners, and, when we’re walking in the flesh, it’s easy for us to adopt a cynical attitude in response to suffering or disappointment. But God has better plans for us, though. He wants to heal us and rid our lives of cynicism.

Ultimately, the key to dealing with cynicism in our lives is Christ Himself. We need Christ in our hearts to remove the anger, dissolve the bitterness, and make us a new creation.