Be A Fool. Believe Things Will Be Good. Better To Be Hurt.

“Cynicism is not wisdom. Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but cynicism is a self-imposed blindness. You put the blinders on yourself to protect yourself from a world that you think might hurt you or disappoint you. Be a fool. Believe things will be good. Better to be hurt.” -Stephen Colbert
I love Stephen Colbert, so when I saw this quote on Mighty Girl's blog I knew I had to post it. Maggie of Mighty Girl believed in the essence of his quote but found "better to be hurt" to be "so rough to put into practice." And I agree with her - that is the part of the quote that really got me thinking.
While I don't necessarily consider myself a cynical person, I have in the past used cynicism as a defense mechanism to protect myself from disappointment or heartbreak. Cynicism can be the easier - safer - path to take, but it is also a very guarded position that can make you unintentionally dismiss passion and less receptive to new ideas, people, and experiences. Removing cynicism and believing in things, being a fool, is a more risky venture - one that takes a combination of work and faith.
But it leaves you open to the best of possibilities, even if hurt is mixed in there.
Be a fool. Believe things will be good. Better to be hurt.