Cynicism

The McCann parents are being treated as suspects in the disappearance of Madeline McCann. Can't say I'm surprised. Of course, when I first heard the girl was missing under strange circumstances, I instantly figured the parents had done it. Same as with the Jon Bonet Ramsey case. Also, when I heard OJ Simpson's ex-wife had been murdered. I wondered "where was OJ"?

There was also news this morning of a mother in Ohio who drove her toddler to work, left her in the car for eight hours, and found her dead in the car at the end of the day. Stunning. I assumed it was murder. On the news, they showed a clip of the mother talking with police. I was shocked to see that the police were treating her as though she were a friend of the family, essentially "accidents happen even to the best of us..." I was expecting that they would have leaned on her at least a little harder - eight hours is a long time to forget that your child is essentially roasting in the car...

But then I have to check myself, don't I? I mean, at this point, none of these people (including OJ) has found guilty in a court of law. The McCanns may be guiltless entirely. The lady whose child died in the car may also be guiltless. Having a suspicious mind, being cynical, doesn't make me smarter. Cynicism is not a straight line to truth. Being jaded is just as bad as being naive. Cynicism and naivete lead to falsehood at equal rates. And strangely, both probably feel good to the person who is practicing it. And both will feel justified by whatever results they find.

Ah well, maybe part of the human condition.