> That's exactly the spot where I disagree. Understanding political-economy properly requires a certain amount of cynicism, that can only come from observing the world for a while

Cynicism hinders understanding, though it may be a product of understanding, and while cynicism may come from age, its a whole lot more related to particular experiences interacting with underlying personality.

> For what it's worth, I didn't feel that way when I was 22.

For what it's worth, I might have been more inclined to your simplistic paean to the magical powers of age and the value of cynicism when I was 22 -- or at least 17-18. At 40, not so much.