Have you ever been in the middle of a conversation and felt very out of place? Maybe you sat there as I did thinking, how can my friends say these things? I found myself in this situation and started laughing. I told them how I loved them all, but they are making me laugh. The conversation was about how cheesy things are, so they can’t like it as much. I guess my thought process was, maybe that is exactly what we need.
Our world has so much drama, violence, anger, and not even close to enough positivity or talking about love. I’m not talking about the fake love or lust, I’m talking the friendly love, the connection between friends, family, spouses, and even strangers can have at times in a place like a supermarket. Maybe this is just another example of my “oddities”, but I can’t help but think, yes, bring more cheesy back! Bring back the positivity. Let’s make it “cool” to be thankful for things and express our love and appreciation for things without fear of being viewed silly or ridiculous.
I might be wrong, but I really believe I can’t be the only one who feels this way. This world is vast, beautiful, and one of my favorite features is that this world is ever changing, constantly being molded by the actions of the people living in it. Everyone talks about adventures, meeting people, and trying new things. We watch movies about heroes taking a stand for and protecting strangers, and people taking a chance on life putting themselves out there. Yet, so few of us actually stand up tall and put ourselves out there to be true to who we are inside, and would rather be “cool” and talk smack about the good things in life or the good people around them. When was the last time we tried to make friends with a complete stranger? Why do people laugh when others are in pain, and then make fun of them when something makes them feel better? Does anyone else find this sad?
Yes, life is hard sometimes and can feel evil in some moments. Overall, life has become a plight because we let it. Our constant negativity and access to the negative things we can watch, see, listen too, with too little to report on the joys and good things in the world is feeding all that stress and negative emotions to our lives. And while each daily battle takes place, many of us are just accepting things as they are, rather than saying, hey, there are great things in life to seek and look forward too. I admit, there have been many times in my life where those positive things were sometimes hard for me to see. At times, I couldn’t. It took someone to remind me there is still a light inside me, good if we just look for it. Not just in ourselves, but everywhere. Yesterday I saw a stranger leaving a store, go pick up some trash, and throw it in a trash can. I saw another person offer to take someone’s cart from the parking lot. I even have seen people let others go in front of them because they have so few items. Little things make a HUGE difference in a person’s day, which spreads from person to person and can eventually become a cultural, natural thing among people.
I challenge you all to ask yourself a question. How many times in your life, has someone done something totally cheesy, sappy, or loving, that turned your day around and made you smile, leaving a lasting positive memory in a previously dark place? Was it a simple hello? Was it a stranger seeing you dropped something and went after you to tell you? Whatever it was, remember it. That is sappy, and that is also good and beautiful!
I sometimes wonder what the world would be like if we lived in a place where everyone felt free to say and do kind things for strangers and others without suspicion or fear of being ridiculed. I think it would be an amazing place. Yes, there are bad people in this beautiful world, and yes, there are sad and horrible things that can happen. But, here is a thought: Why do we have to encourage the negative people and behaviors by mimicking them or heroizing them? Why not turn it around and remind the world of the true courage of kindness? It is easy to snap in anger. It’s harder to stand up to what is wrong because that’s the right thing to do.
I know we all have our moments, but what if we all at least tried more often? What kind of world could our generation create? What examples are we setting for the innocent children of the world? Are we teaching them to be a light in a dark world, or are we telling them it’s fun to be in the darkness?
I don’t know about you all, but I hope there are more cheesy moments and movies coming to our world. I hope there is more talk about love, friendship, and the courage of kindness. Because, what a beautiful world that could be! What do you think?
Amen!!!! I love this post. You really hit the nail on its head. I am so saddened by all the negativity and cynicism. Every time I hear someone spreading “Ain’t it awful” propaganda I want to jump up and break into a song and dance (where is that orchestra when I need it) about what a beautiful world it is. Sure there are terrible things going on. There always has been, but there are also so many beautiful things, including the countless people who are doing what they can to make things better rather than sitting around playing “Ain’t it awful”. If you are going to spread something then choose to spread messages of cheer, hope, and love. Which you just did, Laura. Thank you!!