Be authentic is something we hear, but how many of us actually live this way and how many are portraying or trying to portray themselves as something they are not? What is "being authentic" and is it hard to be authentic in a world that encourages and rewards us to be what is expected, what is popular, what gets likes? The problem in the world of the internet is that there is a massive amount of selection bias, as there are billions of people adding their branding to the collection and pretty much, only the best makes it into the public eye-line. The rest is shares of the content, the popular - someone else's authentic.
How can we be authentically ourselves when so much of the information we generate is someone else's, our "funny" is a meme or gif created by another, a clip from a movie we didn't create. I think that this is part of the issue when it comes to being a high volume consumer, we lose who we are as we become a summation of our consumption habits, replicators and repeaters of other people's skills and talents.
In some way it is like glory by association in the same sense that people want to feel close to the rich and famous so buy products with labels they might wear, call stars they have never met by their first names as if they are going to meet down the pub later and identify and talk about sporting teams and players as if they themselves can play the game. Perhaps rather than glory though, this is actually the inverse, death by association.
Rather than discovering who we actually are away from the influence of the popular, we kill ourselves in order to be like others or, other adjacent. We all want to feel some level of relevance and if we don't have whatever talent flavor of the month is in vogue, we attach and identify ourselves with those who do, popularity through product consumption - the latest car, gadget, experience. We become a representation of the current trends, even if it is not a representation of who we actually are or who we could be, if the space and time is taken to discover just who that authentic us may be.
But if we don't spend this time, when we are repetition of consumption, are we acting in conflict with who we would be otherwise and, is it this that is driving our own irrelevance, since we have made ourselves irrelevant to ourselves. "I cannot be as good as he, so I will share them and repress myself" - I can take credit for "discovering" someone else's talent and get a little bit of the social wash for the introduction, even though I did not produce anything myself. It is akin to rent-seeking behavior, where instead of the gain being financial, the gain is the social points scored, the little bit of social capital built on being among the first to spread the latest trend.
Is our consumption authentically ours, or are we ourselves being manipulated into having the preferences we do, choosing the content we share and getting behind the causes we support? How many of our consumer decisions are ours and, are we making decisions that facilitate us to be our best?
I think a good quote to illustrate this comes from "The Bourne Identity"
I can tell you the license plate numbers of all six cars outside. I can tell you that our waitress is left-handed and the guy sitting up at the counter weighs two hundred fifteen pounds and knows how to handle himself. I know the best place to look for a gun is the cab of the gray truck outside, and at this altitude, I can run flat out for a half mile before my hands start shaking. Now why would I know that? How can I know that and not know who I am?
_Jason Bourne
These are things he can do, that he knows
I can tell you the track list of all six Justin Bieber albums. I can tell you that our waitress is wearing a Michael Kors belt from last season and the guy sitting up at the counter should lose weight and get a haircut. I know the best place to look for a friend is on Tinder, and at this price, I can spend my food and rent money to get the latest iPhone. Now why would I know that? How can I know that and not know who I am?
_Society
It is a "mystery" as to why we feel so irrelevant in the world when so much of what we do is based on us expanding our consumptive habits in order to be better accepted socially. The thing with purchasing social points is, anyone with money can do it. Skills can't be purchased, they can only be rented from others, outsourced - it is this that gives skills value and why buying social support will only last as long as the ability to buy does - and pockets aren't very deep, but there is always a line of credit available.
How can we spend so much of our available resources, yet struggle to understand ourselves, to find out what we are good at and what makes us who we are? A small scratch to on the surface is all that is needed to get a picture of what is beneath, but that surface seems impenetrable to us and every time we get a glimpse, something comes to draw our attention away again, something "pressing" that needs our focus - and we never have time to look in the mirror and reflect. Why is it with all of the luxuries we consume, knowing ourselves is seen as a luxury we cannot afford?
If our only relevance to the world is our ability to buy, we will bankrupt ourselves without ever knowing who we when stripped of all the layers of irrelevance, our authentic selves.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Well. I just happen to know that I am a back ass country boy on a journey of discovery. That's authentic.
I've met my birth family and that went even better than I had dreamed. I've taken a couple hundred photos of places I'd never been before. I'm just about to turn south and head toward home. I'll spend a couple days with my original :) brother and then figure out where I go next.
Thanks for pointing out the obvious. It's important.
Are you going to write about the experience once you have time? I'd love to hear if you are willing.
Safe travels back and have fun sorting through the shots :)
!ENGAGE 40
ENGAGEtokens.Very insightful and relevant as always.
I believe decentralization will have a tremendous effect on this issue.
As people learn to take control and ownership of their intrinsic value and have a more equitable opportunity to access the tools for individual economic freedom and building their own personal value.
I agree. It seems that for many, it is a responsibility question and we have been raised to be too reliant on others to provide the tools and value for us. We have become endusers by trade.
!ENGAGE 25
ENGAGEtokens.I believe that this is connected with self confidence. When you follow what others do instead of trying to figure out yourself, you do it because, deep down, you feel you can't feel better. Therefore it is cool to be a follower than to risk to be an unpopular leader. People fear judgement the most because it threatens their security inside a group. People fear loneliness, so being out of tune with the others might lead them towards that path. You know, I feel that the more people try to be in tune with others, they get out of tune with themselves. And I see this the worst part of society now. A bunch of individuals who have no clue about themselves anymore, what do they want, what do they dream? The biggest challenge is to figure what you want. Not your parents, friends, relatives, lovers, society, politicians etc.
Face anybody with this question: what do you want and why do you want it? Looking at their faces when they answer will give you so many clues why the world is clueless now.
I think it is interesting these days as not only do many people likely do this, they also "subscribe" themselves to many groups, often in conflict with each other. Constantly pushed and pulled this way and that, chasing validation with anyone who will offer a clap or star.
I wonder if they dream of freedom, but will never wake up to their self-enslavement.
I agree.
!ENGAGE 25
A man's ability to dream is dependant on the ability to imagine and dream and fulfill everything with a sense of freedom. With social media and inner insecurity, I guess one can be oblivious to their own shackles.
I have the sense that due to the level of low-value and mass-produced consumption, imagination has been reduced in most people, especially the young.
ENGAGEtokens.A very difficult question that does not give me peace of mind for a long time.
Question Who am I? as ancient as our world.
It is a question that I think we used to be forced to search an answer for through the way we lived, now we ahve the option to avoid it - ironically by not really living.
!ENGAGE 10
ENGAGEtokens."We are the by-products of a lifestyle obsession"
-Fight Club
The movie fight club portrays aa lot about this materialism in the society, This consumeristic behaviour.
Everyone wants to live up to a social standard, to get acceptance from society and they ignore the other human values.
I haven't seen that movie since it came out I think ... I am getting old :D
It is a type of self-imposed and personal dystopia - common in the collective.
!ENGAGE 10
ENGAGEtokens.This means a lot to me. In my journey as a pencil artist, most times I just turn my back at watching how other people draw, I just stay awake all night to be sure I draw like myself, not like any other person.
I remember when i started learning how to strum bass guitar, my teacher will always ask me, "which bass player do you want to sound like?"
I was always get stocked with that question. He told me I should just get inspired by great bass players but I should learn to sound like myself when I'm on stage.
A lot of persons have really forgotten who they really are just because they desire to be like some other person.
Thanks so much for sharing this, it is much informative and resourceful.
yet, most won't even get that far as they don't see or understand what it takes to get the skills, so give up when progress isn't made quickly enough.
!ENGAGE 25
ENGAGEtokens.A lot of wisdom here... this was s very nice read.. this is a call for one to actually try to discover one's self. A call to add more value to one's self.
Good read.
Are you one of those who will answer the call? :)
I am already trying my best to already..
Being authentic isn't a one time thing. You have to continue finding and redefining your originality.
We are consistently I, but always changing.
#PoSh
Keep it simple is my way in life. If they like you, good, if they don't, also good.
Impressionaires are are ton for the price of 2 cents in life and I value myself just below that price lol.
Life is there to be lived and if you don't know yourself you will never really know, or understand life's flavors?
Why? Simply because you are living somone else's life.
Short and sweet!
Absolutely true. Adding inauthentic layers doesn't help, even when done well. The approval lands on the layers, not the individual. So many people are cripplingly lonely believing that others only love them for the facade.
They'll take the hollow win of approval of the facade, over risking the devastating blow of rejection of their genuine selves; but insulation works in both directions, and for both hot and cold.
I remember when I started seriously writing and drawing the hard and fast rule was always to copy the masters or you would never get good, there were no exceptions to this rule. That explains why I'm not good but I don't see why I should do their thing when they're already doing their thing XD
I think the idea was more to learn helpful techniques that could expediate your own but so many people seem to get stuck and especially younger artists craving
popularityacceptance/recognition don't always work out how to mix it up.Because this takes an indeterminable amount of time and experimentation and sometimes resources and it's seen as too great a risk compared to spending a known amount on Netflix and the latest electronics which have a fixed price and a predictable lifespan?