Being naive is easy.
Anybody can be brave when they don't understand the concept of danger. It's convenient, but not admirable.
The same is true of cynicism. If everything is fundamentally corrupt, at least we can feel morally justified while doing nothing about it.
But maybe there's a third option.
Maybe we can accept our inevitable suffering, and make things better anyway.
Our backs are against the wall. If we stay in stasis, the world will overwhelm us. The only way out is through.
Perhaps we've chosen the wrong priorities.
Perhaps our attempts at making things better will fail miserably.
But eventually, something has to work. And when it does, we can leave our learnings for future generations.