Subversive tip – Becoming authentic
To become authentic, we firstly need to know what authenticity means. Put simply, it means to be the opposite of fake. Something is fake when its outward appearance doesn’t line up with its inner nature. To become authentic, what we show on the outside needs to align with who we are on the inside. Read on to find out more about becoming an authentic person in a world of fakes.
One day someone gave me a fake Rolex watch from Asia. It looked quite good at first glance, but after having a close look, there were some details that didn’t seem quite right. Why was it fairly light (surely gold would be heavy), why did the second hand skip like a quartz watch and why did the “gold” look so brassy? After a while, the “gold” went a greenish colour, and it stopped working. At that point, there was no value in fixing it, so I had to throw it away. The real thing would have been worth a lot of money, while the fake was valued at a few dollars. Why? Because it was not what it seemed to be. It was not authentic.
When a person is inauthentic, they seem one way on the surface but are really different underneath. The outside is only a mask. It isn’t usually a very good mask in that people quickly get an idea that all isn’t as it seems. The inauthentic person needs to spend a lot of effort in keeping up the mask. By not being authentic, they devalue their true selves. An inauthentic person is called “fake” or “superficial” or a “phony”. These words show that not being authentic is not something that is liked or respected. People want to connect with a real person inside.
In contrast, the authentic person’s life and goals are aligned with their values. They question and examine their inner beliefs and actions. Where there is something that isn’t what they like, they have the courage to make the changes on the inside, and they transparently reflect those inner beliefs on the outside. You can see the real person on the inside through the actions and words.
The authentic person seeks to understand and live in reality, although this is painful and hard. They don’t deny what they know is real. They have the courage to confront reality and push through. Every day they choose to see things as they are, not how they would like them to be.
The authentic person can therefore trust their own judgement. They listen to themselves rather than being swayed by others. They develop strength of character and can walk their own road.
If you want to be authentic rather than fake, you need to make a conscious moral decision to be yourself, and to realign with your most important values. For example, if you value your health, stop eating junk food or smoking. If you see yourself as an environmentalist at heart, sell the gas guzzler. If you see yourself as a moral person, stop backstabbing someone at work because they are smarter than you are.
Start thinking for yourself and questioning what you are told rather than just nodding in agreement as soon as someone says something. Respect others and care about other people rather than using them or trampling on them. These are the practical steps on the path to becoming an authentic person.
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