Authenticity “We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.”- (May Sarton) Authenticity is a very important factor that can be seen in multiple aspects of my life. There is evidence of this this in many different mediums I use every day, such as songs, books (both fiction and non-fiction), poems, and my own thinking. A song that represents the theme of authenticity is “VIDEO” by India Aire. (India Aire. Video. Rec, 2009, CD.) This song speaks mainly about accepting and being yourself no matter what everyone else may think. For example she says “ when I look in the mirror… every freckle on my face is where it’s supposed to be..” as well as “ I’m not your average girl in your video…” both saying how I can be different and unique despite what everyone else sees as acceptable. This also is backing up my thesis because it’s saying that’s everything about me id exactly where it should be and will always be. Another way she supported my theme in this song by saying “my worth is not determined by the price of my clothes…” and “everything just depends on what feels good to my soul…” these lines support my theme by explaining how I’m going to do whatever makes me feel the best, no matter how other people my view my choices, because my choices reflect on who I am. The second source that promotes my theme is The Bible (King James Version Bible. New York; Oxford University, Press, 2009 print.), which is a major part of my life. There is a lot of scripture that talks about being true to yourself such as in 1 Peter 3: 3-4 “ do not let the adorning be external- but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart” and Romans 12: 2 ”Do not be conformed by this world…see and be what is good, accep... ... middle of paper ... ... that could influence me if I allow them to. I have learned to be myself with whomever I’m around even if we do have strong personality differences. Authenticity is shown in my hobbies, school and religion by knowing my role in situations and appreciating it. As well as not letting people’s roles, comments, and beliefs affect who I am. Authenticity is an aspect of my life that can be seen in almost every situation; this theme has allowed me to be comfortable with the person I am, and not worry about the opinions of others. Being an authentic person and knowing who you are can unconsciously make someone else feel the same way about themselves. Works Cited Westerfield, Scott. Uglies. New York; Simon pulsed, 2005 King James Version Bible. New York; Oxford University, Press, 2009 print India Aire. Video. Rec, 2009, CD Lewis, Kyra. Personal Interview. 20, Apr. 2014.)
Authenticity is a key aspect of what makes an author legitimate. Calvin Trillin, in Comforting Thoughts, is totally authentic. His story, however, never happened and is just made up. This essay will discuss how Calvin is authentic, if his personal conversations ever took place, and his reasons for writing the story.
For instance, I have always been viewed as an extroverted person because of my ability to navigate social situations with charm and articulacy. Nevertheless, when a social situation begins to deepen, and I find a person getting too close to me, I withdraw and hide parts of myself from them. I control my conversations with others so that the focus is always on their life and issues. This keeps my relationship with them at a superficial level so that I am able to hide in plain sight; I appear open and approachable without disclosing too much about myself or emotions.
In The Ethics of Authenticity Charles Taylor makes a radical claim that we only become capable of understanding ourselves and defining our identity through dialogue. He says humans are fundamentally dialogical creatures (29) and cannot develop into individuals without interaction with others. Through dialogue we are able to exchange our ideas with others and construct our values and beliefs from bits and pieces we hear. This is how we become authentic humans. Authenticity is being true to yourself. It almost seems paradoxal; to discover your individuality you must converse with others. Charles Taylor also believes that some lives are better than others, based on how authentically a life is lived. In modern society, where soft relativism prevails, this view is often seen as unacceptable. Current thought seems to be that lives are all equal; in fact the choices we face have neither a right nor a wrong answer. Charles Taylor believes this causes people to become self absorbed, and can bring about a loss of meaning in their lives.
The words “authenticity” and “mystification” are two that are not often combined, as one describes something genuine and true, and the other is used in more perplexing and blurry situations. At first glance, it may seem that MacCannell is yet again describing authenticity, except it in this case, it is transforming into its opposite: mystification. When this is dissected further, however, the point that he is making is clear. The fakeness that has become a part of our societal structure is becoming more and more defined as reality, which as a result takes us further away from the presence of “authenticity.” If we are constantly seeing set up “stages” that are created to meet our expectations, how do we tell the difference between what is truly authentic and what is being produced to create an image of
According to Montgomery (2001), authenticity in talk can be determined by certain features. Firstly, spontaneous and uncontrived talk, also known as ‘fresh’ talk, is considered authentic. Talk which captures or presents the speaker’s experiences as well as projects his core self and values also fits the criteria of authenticity. In this paper, it follows that if the talk is deemed to be authentic by Montgomery’s definition, the persona portrayed by the speaker as he spe...
When people think of Dr. Seuss, they think; “Oh, the cat with the spontaneous black and white hat” or the author who wrote books about moral values and created art pieces that expressed politics. Dr. Seuss wrote children’s books not only to open up a child’s imagination about a fantastical world full of new words, creatures, and experiences, but also about eye opening issues. He promoted the importance of racial equality and other political issues, as well as the enduring hardships of life through his literature. Books like The Sneetches, The Lorax, I had trouble in getting to solla sollew and Oh, The Places You’ll Go! , are just a few of the many books Dr. Seuss wrote, but each of these books had a hidden moral message that could change the way people think. Seuss incorporated valuable lessons about everyday struggles in his books, and in doing so allowed readers to think and reevaluate their beliefs and make better choices about their lives.
Charles Taylor would say that the phrase be true to who you are is a lie because you can never truly be true to who you are. He would say it is more likely that you are being true to being like everyone else. This means you are more like everyone who shaped you and not at all like who you want to be. They are outside voices always telling us what to do, so we can never be true to who we are. We rely on others to tell us who to be and not our own voice. They are a lot of external influences that are stopping us. They are some we are aware of such as our environment and some we are not aware of such as how our society and its laws molds us into what it wants us to be (51). It begs the question can I really be true
“ The self's struggle for authenticity and definition will never end unless it's connected to its creator -- to you and to me. And that can happen with awareness -- awareness of the reality of oneness and the projection of self-hood. For a start, we can think about all the times when we do lose ourselves.”
There is so many different personalities in the world, and how boring would it be if we all acted the same. “Every society and social group has values, experiences, and understandings that are widely shaped among members but may not be endorsed by those outside of the culture or group” (Wood, 2016, p.54). This is your personal identity , which is how you choose to live your life and what you stand for. Your idenity can be shared closly with other people. However, your personality is uniquily your own, this is the way you have decided to represent your idenity (Hontoy, 2015). I learned that I am an ESTJ type, extravert (19%), sensing (12%), thinking (1%), and judging (44%). Some of the concepts that I read about my personality type I recognized in myself and some opened my eyes to new concepts about myself (Humanmetrics, 2016).
“It’s a blessed thing that in every stage in every age some one has had the individuality and courage enough to stand by his own convictions.” The part of me that sums up my identity best is not the adjectives given by family, or the faults I find in myself. My identity is my desire to better myself, and my passion for children. My identity is who I want to be and what I do to accomplish my goals My identity is the feelings and emotions I pour into my journal every day, and the way I feel when I do something right. My identity is not what others thing of me or what I think of myself after a bad day. My identity is the love and confidence I have in myslef, and the beauty inside.
In our modern society today there has become a great importance for personal or individual authenticity, but to really grasp and understand the struggle for person authenticity the current cultural climate people live in today must be examined. Going back to pre-industrialized societies changes occurred over time and multiple different generations but now in our modern post-industrial society there are changes that occur multiple different times within a person’s lifetime alone. Especially since pop culture can be so easily marketed in our modern society through the new technological advances the current society has experienced in their lifetime alone. There is this rapid change that makes people in the society shift from maintaining core traditions,
A person’s identity is shaped by many different aspects. Family, culture, friends, personal interests and surrounding environments are all factors that tend to help shape a person’s identity. Some factors may have more of an influence than others and some may not have any influence at all. As a person grows up in a family, they are influenced by many aspects of their life. Family and culture may influence a person’s sense of responsibilities, ethics and morals, tastes in music, humor and sports, and many other aspects of life. Friends and surrounding environments may influence a person’s taste in clothing, music, speech, and social activities. Personal interests are what truly set individuals apart. An individual is not a puppet on the string of their puppet-master, nor a chess piece on their master’s game board, individuals choose their own paths in life. They accomplish, or strive to accomplish, goals that they have set for themselves throughout their lifetime. Individuals are different from any other individual in the world because they live their own life rather than following a crowd of puppets. A person’s identity is defined by what shaped it in the first place, why they chose to be who they are, and what makes them different from everybody else in the world. I feel that I have developed most of my identity from my own dreams, fantasies, friends, and idols.
Through socialization, people discover the advantages of concealing their genuine selves. Merely the thought of being marginalized for uniqueness gives some individuals anxiety. Holding non-traditional beliefs, wearing peculiar clothing, saying something colorful or simply deciding not to conform to societal standards puts a person at risk. Subsequently, cloaking ourselves in facades and wearing intricate masks can become so commonplace that we forget who we truly are as a result. Apprehension has led us down this foggy path, and complacency prevents numerous from deviating the course. Commencing this unfamiliar journey towards authenticity can be initially painful and scary, yet necessary to uncover deceitful thoughts, feelings and behaviors while additionally allowing close, healthy relationships. Authenticity is a masterful practice of continual self-discovery, self-contentment, and compassion. Authentic individuals are so proficient that they look outside themselves to the needs and desires of others, for they are deeply in-touch with their own mind, body, and soul. Am I an authentic person? This question can not be answered with a straight yes or no, because no one can be completely authentic, or fully unauthentic. Personally, I attempt to be
The question, “What is involved in being true to your self?” is very complicated. There are many aspects to this question. First you would need to know what is meant by being true. Being true is the act of putting forth sincerity, or being genuinely faithful. It is honesty, seriousness, and earnestness. Next you would need to realize what it means to be a self. In class we discussed the difference between animals, rational animals, and people. This topic also came up in the reading about the concentration camps. Frankl quotes,
If you are pretending to the life of someone else, the search for a meaningful life may go askew. Since the thoughts you have are altered due to the living life the “wrong way” because of who you should be instead of who you actually are. So having authenticity set up becomes the basis for finding your true self and deciding what does a meaningful life means to you. When you are able to fully become yourself, you can personally grow as a human being. Your ideas and beliefs will be challenged and the boundaries and limitations are pushed where more opportunities can be found. These qualities will give a stronger sense of