Authentic Orange

Submitted by Caleb Carroll

Authenticity. The word is derived from the word authentic which, by definition, is of undisputed origin and genuine. From a philosophical standpoint the definition does not change much at all. Essentially to be authentic is to be yourself without being influenced by others. Even though this is true, many people often times become engulfed in their surroundings and become of it. Their actions and feelings are often swayed from what they really are so they are more likely accepted by those around them. In today’s world, the best and most likely way to fit in is to conform to what the world believes you should be. This is the “right” thing to do. To do anything that goes against what is commonplace in the world would be classified as “wrong.” But instead of conforming, people should ask themselves why a feeling has to be right or wrong when in reality it’s just how one feels. Noting more. Nothing less. It is impossible for you to be “Authentically Orange” if your life and the decisions you make are controlled by your fear of judgment. And unfortunately this has become the majority of the world. Countless numbers of people have become fraudulent. A facade if you will. Or as Soren Kierkegaard has said, “the crowd” is untruth (Kierkegaard, The Crowd is Untruth).
When I look out into the crowd I see an ocean of despair. Thousands upon thousands of people shackled and enslaved to be that which someone else says they should be. The situation I mentioned in the first paragraph is, in my eyes, one of three types of Despair mentioned by Kierkegaard. Despair Not to be Conscious of Having a Self (Lecture, 4/21/15). This particular type of despair is the worst type of despair. And I do not say this simply because Kierkegaard said so. I say this because those who are going through this despair are slaves to the world and are completely unaware of it. No originality. No self-made thoughts. Practically no soul. Just a computer made of flesh that has been programmed to be what it is. These people are lacking in two crucial existential themes. The first being humanism (Lecture, 5/19/15). The people I have been describing throughout this essay have yet to pursue their own identity and freedom. The pressure and thought of exclusion from society is too heavy a load to bear. In turn they stay stuck in a box. This brings me to the other existential theme these people are lacking in. Freedom (Lecture, 5/21/15). As I just stated these people are trapped in society’s box. This box is very easy to escape from but on the inside it looks quite splendid. Those who leave are looked at as the odd, the outcasts, the peculiar, the strangers. They are anomalies. Those who have deviated from the common rule. And from the outside looking in they can see the horrid prison like structure that is society’s box. Satre would say that these people, these anomalies, are choosing self, choosing for all humans (Lecture, 5/21/15).
In short, to be the authentic you, you have to do what you want to do without fear of being judged for it. Be happy and proud of who you are. No matter what anyone might say or think you must continue to do that which you love. That which brings you joy. As long as you do not infringe on others to do so, be who you truly are. Anyone who tells you to do otherwise is likely too scared to do what you are doing. So instead they tell you what to do if they were you. Trust yourself and chase your dreams.