As I was reading this I thought that earnestness was clearly the right word for what you’re discussing. Your argument against it, which just boils down to it sounding cheesy, didn’t dissuade me of that view. I think its fine to just own that the value you care about has kinda cheesy connotations, rather than trying to leverage a less accurate word that doesn’t have baggage you dislike. Being earnest is great!
As I was reading this I thought that earnestness was clearly the right word for what you’re discussing. Your argument against it, which just boils down to it sounding cheesy, didn’t dissuade me of that view. I think its fine to just own that the value you care about has kinda cheesy connotations, rather than trying to leverage a less accurate word that doesn’t have baggage you dislike. Being earnest is great!