why are we so embarrassed to be sincere?

I wonder when being sincere became so embarrassing. You can't tell someone you love them without adding a joke at the end. You can't be overly excited about something without someone calling it cringe. God forbid you write something heartfelt on the internet. Apparently caring too much is a social offense now.

I find that strange, considering how much we all want to be loved, understood, and appreciated. Yet we're so careful not to appear too interested in anything. Don't double text. Don't get attached. Match their energy. Be mysterious. It's almost as though we've collectively decided that whoever cares less wins.

But wins what, exactly?

I suppose there's a certain safety in appearing indifferent. Nobody can make fun of you for loving something if you never admit to loving it in the first place. And I understand that. Nobody enjoys feeling foolish, especially when their feelings aren't reciprocated.

Still, I wonder how many things we've deprived ourselves of simply because we were afraid of looking uncool.

I like people who get excited about things. People who talk too much about their hobbies, write ridiculously long birthday messages, cry over movies, and tell their friends they love them without feeling the need to laugh afterward. There's something refreshing about someone who isn't constantly monitoring how they're being perceived.

And perhaps I'm being a little hypocritical because I've certainly pretended to care less than I actually did. But I'm beginning to think that being unbothered is considerably overrated.

I don't want to spend my life pretending nothing moves me just to impress people who probably care just as much as I do.

If being sincere makes me cringe, then I suppose I'll just have to be cringe.

At least I'll have meant what I said.