Ruminating on authenticity
What is genuine? How is genuine?A choice. A decision. A way of moving. Thinking. Being. Flowing/ going.
–adjective
1.
possessing the claimed or attributed character, quality, ororigin; not counterfeit; authentic; real: genuine sympathy; agenuine antique.
2.
properly so called: a genuine case of smallpox.
3.
free from pretense, affectation, or hypocrisy; sincere: a genuine person.
4.
descended from the original stock; pure in breed: a genuine Celtic people.
Is being genuine the same thing as being radically honest?
I'm inclined to say no, to think of genuine-ness (authenticity) as an all-around way of engaging with the world while radical honesty, at least as Dr. Blanton describes it, is a way of connecting thought to verbal expression.
How does one be genuine? What are its implications for day-to-day choices, long-term goals, relationships/ ways of relating?
Trying to connect the ideal and the reality.
Thought: I want to be more genuine.
Action: ?
When I Google "I want to be more genuine," the first search result is "How to Smile" on wikiHow.
The authentic self is not the best self. It's the real one. Warts and all. Striving towards authenticity is NOT the same as seeking perfection (or even improvement). So why do I/ most assume the authentic self to be superior than the current?
A remembered conversation...
Me: I didn't feel like myself today.
Eric: Then who did you feel like?
Me: Wow. (That's profound.)
Living authentically means being honest with yourself (and honesty with the rest of the world will follow -- it's not the focus).
