Authentic Orange

Submitted by Trevor Whitaker
To be authentic to oneself is to achieve the ability to be an individual, separated and distinct from the crowd or group of people that one is a part of. To be able to be comfortable with standing out or not fitting in takes a level of self-actualization that few possess. This is a very important idea to talk about at a university, especially one as large as Oregon State because it becomes so easy for us to become lost in the “they”, the “herd”, or the “crowd” (lecture 5/5). What we should attempt to do is to have the ability to be Orange—that is to be a contributing member of the Oregon State community—while still maintaining our authenticity.
The path of least resistance when we are a part of a large community is to conform, to be like everyone else. “The crowd… in its very concept—is untruth” (Kierkegaard, The Crowd is Untruth, pg. 1). This is the general consensus among philosophers, although each words it differently, that to be just one piece of a larger working mechanism is harmful to oneself—an act that is not in good faith (lecture 5/21). The “herd” as Nietzche calls it, can only do us harm. When we become part of the herd, we give up our own authenticity and adopt the morals and traits that are not our own (Nietzche, The Gay Science, pg. 116-119). At the university we are presented with a problem however: it is such a critical time in our lives that the desire to be likable and thus have the ability to form relationships and connections pushes us into this herd mentality—we start to think that the only way to be accepted is to fit in and conform. What we don’t realize is that we have the ability to be likable by just being ourselves. Being distinct while not the most easy thing we can do ensures our that we keep our identity and freedom in the crowd (lecture 5/7). When we are all able to achieve a level of authenticity within the Oregon State community, we promote more diverse and well-rounded thinking. This introduces new ideas and new thinking into our community that while still allowing us to act and be as a whole (to be orange) we are able to foster understanding and love of all walks of life and all different methods of thinking. Not only are we helping ourselves as individuals by being authentic, but we are contributing something to a community that helps society as a whole. In contrast, if we conform to what everyone else is doing we become self-conscious and unaccepting, and it leaves the door open to hate and prejudice. In doing this we can understand what it means to really be authentically orange. It is very possible for every member of the Oregon State community to “be orange” while everyone is just a slightly different shade of orange. If we can apply the thinking of the great minds of existentialist thinkers, we will all be able to be distinct while enhancing the life and well-being of our community and society.