Authentic Orange

Submitted by Mollie Handkins.

Arguably, authenticity can take an innumerable amount of forms, depending on the opinions of he or she whom one may be asking. Authenticity can plainly be seen as the clichéd idea of being true to yourself. However, philosophically speaking, authenticity goes immensely deeper than simply being yourself. It can mean defying the thoughts and unwelcomed ideas of others in an attempt to stand your own ground. It can mean seeking the truth behind all of the accepted meanings we find in this world or in the existential world. Authenticity can further be defined as the pursuit of identity and freedom. However, despite the aforementioned ideas, authenticity can truly only be defined by the individual him or herself.

Judgment and expectations can indisputably be seen as the largest obstacle that one might encounter within his or her community. Expectations such as achieving a certain GPA, acceptance into a professional school, pressures to drink, and many more, are specifically heavily forced upon the students here at Oregon State University. Further, while attempting to relieve or exceed some of those expectations, one will almost definitely come across the judgments of others. Regardless of how hard one may try to control the effects that those judgments have on their emotions and their own authenticity, it is nearly impossible to ignore the negative outcomes that judgment, whether real or imagined, places in all of our lives. While experiencing the initial sense of freedom and individuality that college allows us, it can still be difficult to maintain a true sense of authenticity. Regardless of how we all might see high school as a prison full of judgment and a lack of individuality, some of that can still seep into our lives in college. The perilous combination of both judgment and exceedingly high expectations can especially weigh down our hopeful sense of authenticity. However, it is entirely in our own control as to whether or not we allow the opinions and frightening hopes of others heave our authenticity out and away from us.

In conquering the inevitable judgment and high expectations that are awaiting all of us in every step we take in life, we must combat and maintain our authenticity. While dealing with the human obstacles that we are likely to face, we must remember: “the individual is defined only by his relationship to the world and to other individuals” (Beauvoir, Ethics of Ambiguity). Sure, it may seem to be the easier path to revolt against those who challenge our authenticity, but the more rewarding path that allows us to uphold our hopeful identity further challenges us to be the so-called better person and to disallow others’ negative ideas and opinions to stand in our way. Furthering the argument for maintaining our ethical being in the search for authenticity, it can be said that: “ethical considerations are shared commitment to authentic living, as individuals and society” (Lecture, 5/7/15). In my opinion, it is only through the interactions and experiences with others that we find our true authenticity. Therefore, in searching for our own identity, we must remember that others too are on the same journey. As Fanon argued, “dehumanization is the refusal to recognize humanity” (Lecture, 5/19/15). The importance of embracing our own and others’ flawed humanity can truly not be stressed enough. However, while we should welcome experience with others, we cannot let it sway our pursuit for identity and freedom. Kierkegaard argues: “ the crowd is untruth… makes individual ‘unrepentant and irresponsible” (Lecture, 5/5/15), which can be interpreted as him saying that when we allow our truths and our attempted authenticity to be dictated by the needs, wants, and opinions of others, we truly lose ourselves. We are the only ones who can decide our fate, our authenticity, and our experience. While it is important to have the loving and guiding spirits of others, we hold ourselves to be who we truly are. In summary, “you become who you make yourself to be” (Lecture, 5/21/15).

Being Orange truly cannot be rigidly defined; it can only be loosely said that it is imperative that we believe in our own authenticity and do not stray from the path on the pursuit of our own identity and freedom.