Are you a Cynic?

I have been once accused of being a cynic.
I was and still am a bit perplexed mostly because, I must admit that I don't really have a clear idea about what it involves to be 'a cynic".

For a while, I even thought it might sort of be a compliment in a way, as I remembered that my dad's all time heros were the french canadian group of comedian named 'the cynics'. It couldn't be that bad, right?

The Oxford English Dictionary describes a cynic as

one who "shows a disposition to disbelieve in the sincerity or goodness of human motives and actions, and is wont to express this by sneers and sarcasm." In short, the cynic is "a sneering fault-finder."

Most of us know a few people in our lives whom we would describe as cynics. They tend to be rather bright individuals, who are just a little bit full of themselves and never hesitate to voice their own critical opinions of other people. Does this sound familiar to you?

Not playing the game.
In other words it can be taken as someone who is so intensly not 'playing the game' that it has becomes a painful maladie, and a person you don't really feellike hanging out with. hmmmmmmmm. Thanks?

Well, this seems to be flatering in a way I guess? I must be somewhat more than a dimwit. But it is actually a dilibitating characteristic that always ends by making you feel hopelessly alone and depressed.

The article I am taking this from goes on to describe the historical origins of the word 'cynicisn' in the antique greece. Apparently there was an actual -cynical- 'school of thought'

The ancient school of Cynicism was founded in the fourth century BC by Antisthenes. The role model of the Cynics was Socrates, whom they saw as the perfect illustration of self-sufficiency (autarkeia). Seeking to follow his example, the Cynics urged both men and women to follow a way of life in harmony with nature and to reject all unnecessary civilized luxuries. They also rejected all social conventions, customs and laws. The satirist, Lucian, for example, has a cynic in one of his dialogues give the following bit of advice, "Do not hesitate to perform the deeds of darkness in broad daylight. Select your love adventures with a view to public entertainment." Clearly, these were not men and women who cared very much what people thought about them.

The Cynics Approach to Happiness
Starting Point = Idealism > Disappointment > Disillusionment and Suspicion > Scorn for Societal Customs, Conventions > Expressed via Sarcasm and Ridicule > Attempt to Live Natural and Authentic Existence.

Well, the official cynic test say that:

You have potential. While you're not yet a full-blown cynic, you exhibit promising talents in that direction. Go ahead and explore the sample definitions from The Cynic's Dictionary to see if you agree