Authentic Orange

Submitted by Ashley Martin

To be authentic is to be real or “to be your true self” (lecture, 4/16/15). Although, I’d have to argue that sometimes it can be more difficult than it sounds. Sartre presents this obstacle of authenticity in our lecture on 4/9/15. “Being in-itself” or “being for itself” are main categories of being. When one is being in-itself, one is unconsciously living, going through the motions and living without real purpose. When one is being for-itself, one lives with freedom from the mind, freedom from the physical realm and is at peace with who they are. Today, our society is filled with these things called ‘social norms’. This is a huge obstacle that many struggle with in growth and development of the self. From birth we are molded by our parents, coaches and significant others. These norms can be anywhere from physical appearances to how we decide to talk. Norms are expectations and cues within a society or group. Nietzsche said, “the ‘Herd’ can often lead individuals to act in unauthentic ways, or to be less authentic themselves (lecture, 5/5/15). Consequently children are told to follow the rules, to not question our superiors and to be “good little kids”. These kids grow up and eventually enter high school. Here, you are told to “be yourself, don’t follow the crowd, and stand up for what you believe.” Sounds easy until you are that 16 year old looking in the mirror realizing you have no idea who you are because all you have ever been is a product of your parents and social institutions you have been exposed to all your life. This introspection in the mirror is the conscious shift of being that Sartre was speaking of. Once you draw awareness to who you want to be versus who you actually reflect, you start to focus on yourself instead of every other person in the crowd.

A brighter light is when society accepts the fad you have always wanted to follow. The ice finally has been broken allowing you to express yourself in the way you have always wanted to. But the question remains, wouldn’t you just express the real you if society was accepting or not? That is more of what authenticity is, not waiting for the acceptance but being the real you from the start. Which reminded me a lot of what Kierkegaard was talking about in The Crowd. He said, “even if every individual possessed the truth in private, yet if they came together into a crowd, untruth would at once be let in” (Kierkegaard, The Crowd is Untruth, Paragraph 4). Individuals are themselves when they are alone or feel welcomed to be themselves. In that situation there is nothing but truth. But when all together in a group there are walls being put up, and things being protected from judgment or hurt, which is untruth. We should embrace our individuality, be the person who breaks social norms, starts new trends, and is the purest human being for others to branch off of. Being an individual in college can be rough.

Coming to college I have discovered that here is where you find the real you. Discovering if you are able to think on your own, make life choices, handle life’s stressors and find what brings you happiness. To be authentically orange means to take pride in your school, take full advantage of your opportunities and make Oregon State proud to have you. What it means to be an authentic beaver is living in unison with the ethic codes of OSU. This is a school that stands for equality in marriage, race, job discrimination and much more. This University is founded on adversity and the acceptance of beavers no matter their roots. To be authentic is to find individuality in the standards of this university; while still up holding the morals and ethics this university lays as a foundation to build from. Honestly, I don’t think you would be here at OSU if you were not already authentically orange. Oregon State gives you everything you need to be successful and what you need to be YOURSELF. So I say give back and bleed orange. A challenge in the college community comes as level of need to fit into something. You cannot be authentic if you don’t have a place where you feel you fit or belong. If that is the case, don’t give up on the real you just keep searching. It’s common for students to drift off onto easier pathways so they can succeed. Be nothing but authentic.