No ironic distance
Viktor Löfgren in Snark, Ironic Detachment, Authenticity:
A snarky and cynical approach, by its default assumption that things are shit, or if they are not yet shit will inevitably turn to; such an approach will give your world a malodorous brownish tint.
Perhaps Viktor and I have been going down the same rabbit holes lately. Going on a David Foster Wallace binge (still working myself up to reading Infinite Jest) got me thinking about this topic a lot recently. I believe aspiring to authenticity and being genuine is the only path to becoming content.
Unironically, I believe resurrecting this website has helped me in that regard. I just do and write whatever I feel like here, and have been able to shed most fears of being judged. It has transplanted to the rest of my life, too, I think.