Have you ever felt out of place in the world?
Finding once familiar things suddenly felt alien and strange.
Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror only to see a stranger?
I think there is a problem with the word and with society. Not a “big” problem like hunger or plagues, but a smaller yet still important problem. I think there is a problem of authenticity. People as individuals don’t see themselves in the world as they are anymore, but why is this?
In this post, I will explore the concept of Authenticity and why I feel it’s very important. In my opinion, the concept is overlooked when it comes to modern discourse about living in the modern world. Throughout this post, I will explore the concept from a psychological and philosophical view, as well as adding some thoughts of my own. By the end, I will write some tips on how to be more authentic in the world.
What is Authenticity?
There is nothing that kills momentum more than defining terms, so I will try to be brief here.
For the sake of argument let’s say there is a core self. I know it’s a big discussion in philosophy. This post would be way too long if I were to devote time to that discussion. Even if one does not believe in a core self I think the argument in this post still stands.
When we act according to what we want, our beliefs, and values we become authentic.
The problem is that most people don’t live their life that way. Why is this?
Why are people not Authentic?
Martin Heidegger talked about being in the world. He talks about feeling out of place in the world. He explains this with the concept of “nothingness”. You might find a word or place once familiar to you suddenly appears strange. You might stop and think “Why am I here?”. According to Heidegger, those feelings are examples of nothingness. It jolts us out of our perception of the world.
Let’s say you have to go to a meeting. You could go, but you could also not go. The world is not going to end either way. You are in control of your own life. No one can live your life for you or die your death, death individualizes us. Once you realize the world is this strange place where you are in control you might feel anxious.
Most people slave away doing unfulfilling jobs that over time drain them of any life force. They are left hating themselves for doing boring work in their only life. They are left after a long day’s work too tired to do anything, thus they do not have any outlet for their authentic self.
Søren Kierkegaard says that society is making people inauthentic. This is true not only when it comes to jobs, but in many fascist society.
Popular culture and the internet
Yes, yes social media is bad for you, we have heard it many times before it turns your brain to gravy and destroys your attention span. I would argue it also keeps us from being authentic.
Today everybody is comparing themselves to people online. One thing we know is that social media is a lie. It does not reflect the real world or what people look like. Instagram models use a multitude of filters. Fitness influencers use gear to achieve an unachievable physique. You can’t be authentic if you look to others, you have to look inward, especially when what you compare yourself to is a lie.
When you see “relatable” celebrities on talk shows being “authentic” this is also a lie. It is all a product of a massive marketing and PR machine. They design the interviews to make the celebrities appear as relatable as possible so you buy their products. Idolizing celebrities who are more a brand than a real person thus creates a loop of inauthentic.
On the internet, everything is hyperbolic, angry, and filled with irony. You can’t compliment someone without being called a simp. Thus discuring an expression of otherwise valid appreciation.
I have a friend who is convinced he hates the band Metallica despite never having heard a single song from them. He hates them on a conceptual level. The internet is full of people hating things and people on a conceptual level.
People and their opinions are a product of their feed and not their thoughts. Everything is curated for you. If the songs you listen to are the most streamed songs, if the films you watch are the biggest box office hits are you then authentic? or are you merely following others? If you live in a home designed by a catalog are you living authentically or merely following what other people have decided? The same can be said for cloth.
People watch the same thing, listen to the same music, wear the same clothes, and even live in the same designed home. Where is the room for authenticity?
It is not a problem if you like mainstream stuff, but you have to consider if you really do like it or if you just dislike other stuff on a conceptual level.
Internet intellectuals and outsourcing thinking
The great paradox of the world we live in is that everybody has an opinion about everything, yet people are uninformed about all of those opinions. People hold a lot of opinions and values while being frighteningly under-informed. This is also ironic since everybody has access to so much information via the internet.
The vast growing information network has not made the world a more clear and stable place, far from it. Everybody has their own truth no matter what you believe in or think is right you can find people arguing the opposite point no matter how banal, like the earth being flat.
If you want to be authentic then you simply can’t outsource your intellectual pursuits to a guy with wifi. Most people will watch a video on the topic and be convinced straight away. However, YouTubers rarely have any knowledge of the topic themselves. If you want to live an authentic life you should “do your own research”. I do not mean watching YouTube videos or reading articles from a place you know you are going to agree with. You have to pursue knowledge for the sake of finding the truth.
It takes time to read books and academic articles. Therefore you should only really care about a select few topics. Pick a topic that fascinates you. It can be anything and devote time to study that field.
It is okay to not hold so many opinions. It is healthy to say “I don’t have an opinion on that”. If you do that you will be free to concentrate on what you care about. Otherwise, you are just being pulled around by the masses.
There is no value, only interpretation of values. Don’t take your own opinions and values too seriously. – Nietzsche
Why is it important?
It’s all well and good, but does it actually matter if I live an authentic life or not?
Why is it even important?
More and more people are unhappy, sad, and lonely. People grow more cynical by the minute and the overall capacity for optimism is declining at an alarming rate. The reasons for all these problems are complex and vast. Some problems are on a global level others on a societal level, but authenticity is something you yourself can fix.
Think of it this way all humans have a desire to do something, to achieve goals and pursuits. These goals and pursuits are what make them happy. However, most people have no idea what those pursuits even are, they live their lives on autopilot not knowing anything about themselves and what they find meaningful, the lack of meaning is also a big problem in society. What will happen is you will look in the mirror and think “Who is that?”, “Who am I?”.
There is a you who wants to be expressed in the world. By conforming to society and others’ opinions the individual is left with a silent sadness that will eat away at them for life.
There is little room to be authentic in society, if you deviate from the norm in any substantial way you will be looked at as an “other” who doesn’t belong. Society gives the illusion of freedom, but in reality, it contains the individual and forces it to fit into predetermined categories. The Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard also expressed the notion that society makes us less authentic.
People get shamed in society – you can only be authentic within a box society chooses. – me (Ralle)
Carl Jung said that we all have a true self we come into this world with (soulimprent) and that the individual is to find their authentic self and express it in the real world.
Who can you be what you truly are if you don’t even know yourself
You can either be good or whole, but not both – C. G. Jung
Critique
There are several criticisms directed at the notion of authenticity as I have outlined it. The first one is obvious.
What if my authentic self is to do a lot of bad actions like killing?
To live authentically is to be true to who you are and what you want. However, you must not keep others from reaching their true authenticity. Everybody knows murder is wrong and the vast majority of people do not want to commit murder. So I have to say that you can’t break the law.
Would a society focused on authenticity not become entitled and or narcissistic?
As opposed to today where no one is self-centered at all.
I believe the idea of an authentic life is more about realizing who you are and what you want to do. Today society is too consumer-heavy with too much focus on appealing to the masses, thus the counter is to reflect on a micro level, what do I want to watch, listen to, and read? What are MY goals and aspirations? People living with more purpose would bring more happiness and society would be better for it.
Sartre said that if we are self-constructing beings who make ourselves then authenticity is nothing more than a reference to what feels right at that moment you decide to make an authentic choice.
I do believe he is right in some sense and as already stated the point is merely to live in accordance with what the individual wants and values and not what the masses value.
What to do
With all that being said, what can you do as an individual?
Don´t hold so many opinions. You don’t have to have an opinion of every small thing in the world. Let 90% of what people talk. Go and focus on what you feel the most passionate about. It is more Authentic to have a deep knowledge of areas you feel passionate about than to have an abundance of shallow opinions.
Do not outsource your intellectual pursuits.
Simple tips:
Take a walk for 30-60 min a day with no headphones in. Preferably in nature if possible.
Being with your own thoughts can be terrifying at first, but over time will create the clarity needed to reflect on yourself as an individual.
Reflect on what you like/dislike about what you consume.
Do not be passive consumers. If you watch a show or film, reflect on what you liked and disliked about it. It is okay to like things about something you dislike and vice versa.
You can write down what you thought on a document or a piece of paper, or talk with a friend about it. When you talk about something or write it down you make it more concrete instead of a conceptual thing.
Get out of your comfort zone. To be authentic you need to have tried enough things so you can say what you do not like. Try taking a class, or watching a film in a genre you wouldn’t normally do, the same can be said about music, and listening to something new.
There is nothing wrong with liking mainstream stuff designed by committee, but you have to know what is out there, you need to have heard Metalica to form an opinion on them.
Go to a restaurant or movie by yourself. To form authenticity you have to be alone otherwise to just bounce off others’ energy. Going to the movies alone is not so scary, it’s dark and no one is going to remember you afterward.
You can combine all the tips by going to the movies alone, seeing something you normally would not, and reflecting upon it on a walk afterward.