On Cheesiness
Serious emotional statements and actions without a corresponding relationship lead to the feeling of cheesiness.
Think about it: we’ve all seen movies with sappy moments that made us laugh. We’ve also seen movies with similar statements and were a little choked up. What’s the difference? The latter film was created in such a way that built an emotional bond with the audience.
It’s easy to look at the responses and conversation between two people and automatically gag at its cheesy nature. Consider two newly-weds or a couple that has just started dating. The words out of their mouth are so saccharine that only an infatuated person could enjoy them. But to the couple at hand, those comments are sincere and welcomed. Why? They have an underlying relationship that give meaning to their words.
The framework with which we interpret everything defines how meaningful life’s events are. To someone who is dealing with an illness in the family, reading a story about healing would be so encouraging. But others may scoff at the unrealistic nature of the story. Why? They didn’t have the necessary relationship to comprehend the meaning and importance of healing.
As I started to share what I was thankful for after our Thanksgiving meal, I was suddenly unable to speak clearly. The words that were coming out of my mouth were full of clichés and sappy speech, “I’m thankful for my family. I’m thankful for my friends….” It was sincere, but I was spewing that same cheese that I usually mocked. And I couldn’t find a better way to put it.
I invested so much time in avoiding “cheesy” emotions that I was no longer able to speak of such things. My serious and arrogant mocking led me to a place where I was unequipped to say what I thought without becoming that which I joked about.
It was a bad place to be but a good place to start.