Authenticity is a word with several meanings, and (not only for the purpose of this blog) it’s helpful to define what I mean when I talk about authenticity. Wikipedia and Wiktionary are (always) a good starting point, if in need of clarification or definition, so we’ll hop on over to see what they’ve got for us.
- The quality of being authentic or of established authority for truth and correctness.
- Genuineness; the quality of being genuine or not corrupted from the original.
- Truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, and intentions; not a copy or forgery.
Wikipedia: Authenticity (Philosophy)
Authenticity is a technical term in existentialist philosophy. In this philosophy, the conscious self is seen as coming to terms with being in a material world and with encountering external forces, pressures and influences which are very different from, and other than, itself. Authenticity is the degree to which one is true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character, despite these pressures.
Wikipedia: Authenticity (Psychology)
“Authenticity” in psychology refers to psychological concept in which the individual derives gratification and positive emotions from exercising signature strengths.
Following the reference-link for this article, I found this little piece of information on Authentic Life:
Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) believed that we are free to choose the nature of our own existence. It is essential, though, that we accept the fact that our existence is finite; only then can we lead an authentic life, exercising our personal freedom to create a meaningful existence and continually grow (becoming). The alternative is to live an inauthentic life, give up our freedom, pretend, accept conventionality, and be concerned only with the present. Most people don’t exercise their personal freedom, and consequently they experience guilt. Leading an authentic life minimizes guilt. But, leading an authentic life also takes courage, as our life becomes filled with uncertainty. We experience anxiety, first because we are experimenting with life and second because we must take responsibility for the consequences of our choices.
So what does this bring us? Well we’ve learned that authenticity is about:
- being genuine
- being true to one’s personality, spirit or character.
We’ve also learned that:
- it’s hard
- it takes courage
- it brings uncertainty and anxiety
- we have to accept that our existence is finite
- we have to take responsibility for our choices
And we’ve learned that the rewards are most gratifying:
- personal freedom
- meaningful existence
- continuous growth
So in a cost-benefit assessment, do we want to be authentic? Well it costs a lot, but the rewards to me are invaluable, so my answer is a full-blown YES! I can’t answer it for you (that’s what philosophers try to do, I don’t consider myself to be one). Only you can answer that question for you. And, as you’ve apparently read this article all the way down, my guess would be that you answer is gonna be yes as well.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
“do we want to be authentic? Well it costs a lot, but the rewards to me are invaluable, so my answer is a full-blown YES!”
i’m curious, how did you come to the conclusion that the reward with be worth the cost? this is a question that i am currently struggling with myself. there are no guarantees…you can’t predict the outcome beforehand. what makes you so certain that all the trouble will be worth it?
thanks in advance,
antoinette
Dear Antoinette,
The rewards to me are invaluable, because they are aligned with (most of) my core values. These values are Authenticity, Love, Freedom and Fun. I use these values a lot to decide when it comes down to making decisions on the “big questions”. It took me quite a while to have a good grip on what these values were for me. I’ll be writing about how to discover your core values in the near future, as this is an important topic in my opinion.
But you are right, there are no guarantees. There’s only the path and the destination. Without a destination, any path will do. If you do not decide upon your destination (and this is where authenticity comes in), other people will do it for you. Either directly (e.g. relatives, employers) or indirectly (e.g. marketeers, journalists).
Paulo Coelho has written a lovely little book “The alchemist”. It’s about finding and living your own legend, and the dynamics of life if you do or don’t choose to live your legend. Maybe it’ll help you.
All the best, Lodewijk
Hi Lodewijk, just wanted to thank you for your response.
I actually had the book “The Alchemist” and read it a long time ago. It had been sitting on my bookshelf collecting dust. I took your comment as an “omen”
, and at your prompting, decided to give the book another go.
Just this morning, I came to the passage about the heart, its inner workings and how it can’t be ignored. that gave me the answer I was looking for.
Thank you.
You’re more than welcome
I love this little book, I feel it has a lot to teach me, so I re-read it about every year or so. I’m glad you found your answer, may it serve you well.