Authentic Orange

Submitted by Ian Stidham

Born into a world already filled with ideas, it can be difficult appeal to the internal rather than the external for our beliefs, particularly about the self and our connection to – and transcendence of – the material world. This can lead one to feel as though they have been placed into existence free, yet bound by constraints they did not entirely choose. Essentially, this is the concept of Dasein as “thrown projection,” which Heidegger posits can lead us to lose ourselves in a pre-defined world filled with social roles and responsibilities (Lecture 04/16/2015). The environment, appearing to us as part of our reality, intrinsically contains others who become a part of this environment, and these faceless others form what Heidegger calls the “they” (Heidegger, Being and Time, 126). This contributes to the creation of the “they-self,” which finds its meaning within the context of the “they” and what “they” place value on (Heidegger, Being and Time, 127). Our participation in the world of the others leads us to become one of them, further supporting the domination of the “they.” We do as they do. The more we lose ourselves in societal roles and expectations, the more we forget we created them. We choose to give power to things by giving them a slice of our being, and in turn we are placed in a category. These categories take this power and then alter not only the perceptions others hold of us, but more importantly the perceptions we hold of ourselves. These categories limit us; I am not a political party, a job, a Vegan, or a musician. I am. We are.

Paramount to one’s adoption into Heidegger’s “they” is a phenomenon described by Nietzsche as “herd instinct,” wherein whatever benefits the many is morally right (Nietzsche, The Gay Science, 130). At a physical institution, such as a university, the pressure of the herd instinct can be especially strong. It can become a sort of sickness (Lecture 05/05/2015), a plight where the authentic self is suppressed by the expectations of others and the value an individual places on those expectations. Authenticity is the reflection of a person’s truest self, the point where the self is conscious of its coexistence with forces and influences external to it. People see the ideas and beliefs of other people and institutions and choose to give more authority to those things than their own thoughts. The external appeal to authority is more often a passive process than an active one. After enough repetition, one’s worldview develops so that this externalization of power is the ‘natural’ state of being, at which point the person no longer necessarily makes the distinction between their own beliefs and those of others whom they are repeating. We sublimate the natural compulsions we feel and experiences we seek into socially acceptable activities rather than what we think is right, or what is most in accordance with our authentic selves. By being inauthentic at a university, one might pursue a career field of study that does not align with their authentic character. They may do things or participate in clubs and organizations that are out of accordance with the self, and rather finds meaning through the paradigms constructed by the Other. Authentic living requires a person to access this environment of the Other in ways which compliment their being, not their doing. Being “Orange” authentically means engaging with the Oregon State community in ways that are representative of one’s authentic self; finding your trip within the herd, rather than with the herd.