Authentic Orange

Submitted by Ricky Aguilar
Living an authentically lifestyle, it is when you are the purest form of you that you can be. You do not join the herd as Nietzsche would have said. You don’t just follow the herd mindlessly. You don’t pretend to be someone who you are not. (Lecture 5/28/15)

Now how live authentically Orange. Now most student at OSU fall into transcendence, they act like what other people think they should act. They try their best to act the part, instead of being authentic. For example, students sometime act in bad faith. They act like a typical college students, always partying and never going to classes. (Lecture 6/2/15). Now a way to live authentically, would just be as easy as being yourself. But for a lot of people this can be scary, because of the feeling of being rejected. As Nietzshe said “In doing so we give up our authenticity and adopt morals and traits that may not be our own” (Nietzsche, The Gay Science, pg. 116-119). A way to avoid that would be to, surround yourself with people that will encourage you for being you. This is a good example of the Existential theme 4. (Lecture 5/21/15). Now being in college is a perfect time for living authentically. College is a time to find yourself, to find the purest form of you.

Now being authentically orange, is when you find yourself acting like you and not letting other people choose who you should be. We must always try to live authentically, because it’s the only way to truly be ourselves. But sometimes this can be hard. For example, working at a workplace where they require you dress not to yourself and say things that you would normally say. This could dehumanize ourselves. But if you still act the way that is true to you, you could avoid acting in bad faith. (Lecture 5/28/15). The way I see it, it’s quite simple we should act like kids when we can and act like adults when that’s expected from us. Nietzsche, said that being a child is the purest form of you that you can be. (Lecture 6/4/15). But the problem with this, is that when we are acting like adults. This could be a form of denying facticity, we could be denying the fact that we are not be whom we want to be. I feel that as long as we feel like we are being true to ourselves, we are being authentic.

We need to be nothing but true to ourselves, but also not just do things because other expect us to do them. We should do them because we want to. This can be hard for lots of people, because they are already in the mind set of being in bad faith. This can be hard to break for lots of individuals. But we always have a choice, even when we don’t choice we are choosing not to choose. (Lecture 5/26/15). There is always a choice to be made, but making it is what makes us who we are.

Authenticity is being true to one’s own self. Therefore in this instance let’s say that to “Be Orange” is to be authentic in the form of conversation as it relates to relationships. It is important to begin first with the idea that we are condemned to freedom, second we ought not to procrastinate in relationships, and third to recognize that human nature is represented in the universality of communication. The synthesis of these three parts points towards the necessity of authentic relationships in Oregon State University, in order to “Be Orange”.
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Submitted by: Kiana Dussin

“Be Orange” they said. Be orange but don’t let the color define you. I heard these words at orientation and I knew I had found my new home. When I decided to become an Oregon state beaver, I was positive I made the right choice. This was so, because I knew I could be my authentic self at Oregon State. The words “Be Orange” meant so much more to me than just a color. The college was telling me to find what I love to study and do what makes me happy. But there always can be obstacles trying to be your authentic self and becoming an individual at Oregon State.

To be authentic means “true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character” (Merriam Webster). Being my authentic self is something I’ve always tried to be my whole life. I believe it’s best to stay true to yourself and never conform with others. Nietzsche states “by means of morality, individuals are led to be functions of the herd and to attribute value to themselves merely as functions” (Nietzsche, The Gay Science, Pg.116). By this Nietzsche means that all people are drawn and want to be accepted by the herd (or a group of people), so we do things and act a certain way to be accepted.

At a large college like Oregon State, peer pressure can greatly impact one drifting from his/her authentic self. One usually has their own set of morals and values but when put in certain situations, he/she will go against them to fit in or seem “cool”. Going again who you are is “bad faith: I am both the liar and the deceived” (Lecture, 5/26/15). You are lying to people about who you truly are and are being deceived by the people that are lying as well to fit in like you. It can be a cycle that is hard to break. People fall into peer pressure because it’s a natural feeling to want to fit in and be liked by many people. Humans are on a “pursuit of identity and freedom”(Lecture, 5/7/15). But it’s most important to be yourself because if you are, you will eventually find people just like you. It just takes time and the right kind of people.

My tips for living authentically as an OSU student are: To always be yourself, get involved in something you love and stand up/stop the peer pressure. If you are always your authentic self and are comfortable with that self, then the conformity of others won’t drag you in. Being confident in yourself can change your perspective and outlook on many things. If you involve yourself in things that you love, maybe you’ll have a better chance connecting with people that are similar to your authentic self. Having friends that have similar morals and values to you will make it easier to stick to your authentic self. Finally stopping the peer pressure and feeling no need to conform will be the biggest obstacle to overcome in becoming an individual at Oregon State. Kierkegaard states that there is dedication to “that single individual” (Lecture, 5/5/15). There is usually one individual that starts the peer pressure and is the head of the group. It’s important to stand up for yourself and stop the growth of conformity. In the end it’s only up to you, “you become who you make yourself to be”(Lecture, 5/21/15).

Oregon States large community with many different degrees paths and organizations to join makes it easier for one to be his/her authentic self. But never underestimate the pressure you may go under to conform. “What you are is a result of your choices”(Lecture, 5/21/15). This meaning that its your choice what path you take and who you follow and don’t follow. Truly knowing your authentic self and being comfortable with that authentic self, is the key to non-conformity.

Submitted by Christopher Pavlovich

To be authentic is to act in good faith. The best way to describe this is to explain what it is not. Acting in bad faith is worst when the person does not even realize they are doing so. They are lying in their behavior by denying part of who they are, and at the same time deceiving themselves so they do not even realize it (Lecture, 6/2/2015).
We talked about two big things that make up humans. We have our facticity and our transcendence. Facticity is the part of us that we were born with: physical properties, some parts of our living situation, family, etc. Transcendence consists more of decisions, this is what we chose to be, the part of our existence we make for ourselves. Not being authentic, or acting in bad faith, would be denying either one of these parts of who we are (Lecture, 5/26/15). This is something that really should strike home to students at OSU. Looking at what college I wanted to go to, it came down to where I felt most comfortable. OSU seemed to be the most diverse, laid back, and even bizarre school I toured. Everyone was different and it made me feel at home. To authentically “Be Orange” means people stay true to themselves as well as the people around them, and a huge part of that is overcoming peer pressure.
One thing I found helpful in class was looking at example cases. One of which took a waiter at a restaurant and said he could be living in bad faith if he is hiding his personality to be what he considers a good waiter. In this example, the waiter is denying his transcendence, he is only looking at the fact that he is a waiter. An existential theme we learned about is freedom. This is what makes transcendence possible, it lets us choose who we want to be (Lecture, 5/21/15). Gift or curse, it is real and something we should use to our advantage. In school we can do the same thing as the waiter being students. Sometimes when the work loads get thick, we become absorbed in homework and spend days on end with little to no communication outside our school projects. Yes we are just doing what we need to, but are we denying a part of who we are by shutting ourselves out?
Similarly, students can have the opposite problem. Especially people just coming into college, it can be easy to feel the freedom in full force being away from our parents and feel like the rules no longer apply. In fact, a lot of them no longer do, but the consequences are more real than a grounding or losing your car keys for a week. When students take to partying too much, taking too many nights off school work, skipping too many classes, they are the opposite of the waiter. In this case, students deny their facticity. They ignore that they are in a situation that requires work and put off some things that simply can not be put off. “By means of this unconsciousness and forgetfulness he arrives at his sense of truth.” (Nietzsche, On Truth and Lie in an Extra-Moral Sense, pg. 1). Through forgetting why we are here in college, as students we are coming to a sense of truth in bad faith as we are denying our situation.
In either of these cases, we are confronted with an obstacle. Whether our friends have perfect GPAs or do not do any of their homework, they are effecting us. Discussing the concept of “the crowd” in class we talked about how much responsibility is lost in our actions when it becomes something done as a group (Lecture, 5/5/15). This concept mixed with a college environment makes living in bad faith very easy. If it was one or two people partying, it would be uncommon. But because it becomes a norm in a group to blow off assignments, people feel much better about it because they are not alone in doing so. Not only do their peers direct their actions, but they lose the guilt that should be involved in doing the wrong thing. Authentically Being Orange is to stay clear of denying either our facticity in our situation or the transcendence through getting lost in the situation and denying who we are.

Submitted by Eric Nygren

Here at Oregon State University the students, faculty and alumni pride themselves on their effort to “Be Orange”. However, many people have different opinions on what it means to authentically “Be Orange”. For some people, being orange means showing up to as many sporting events as possible to support the school’s athletic teams. For others, being orange means becoming involved in the many extracurricular opportunities offered at Oregon State. Can either be said to be the one authentic way to “Be Orange”? Let us start by defining what authenticity is, before applying this concept to the idea of being orange.

What is authenticity? Authenticity, simply put, is truth. Truth has been said to be “A mobile army of metaphors, metonyms, and anthropomorphisms” (Nietszche, Truth and Lie in an Extra-Moral Sense). The act of being true to one’s own self defines an authentic person. Thereby, a person who is authentically being orange is one to whom being orange is their true self, or at least part of their true self. However, as Nietzsche puts it: “Man has an invincible inclination to allow himself to be deceived.” (Nietzsche, Truth and Lie in an Extra-Moral Sense). There are those out there who have allowed themselves to think that what they are doing to “Be Orange” is authentic to them, when in reality it is not. An example of this might be if someone goes to a football game to cheer on Oregon State, even though they do not particularly enjoy sporting events and do not care for football at all. They would be denying their own facticity by supporting a program they care nothing about, a form of bad faith (Lecture 5/26/15). Alternatively, they could also have shown bad faith by denying their own transcendence if they had told themselves the reason they were going was because they actually enjoy the sporting event, since it benefits the university (Lecture 5/26/15). If that same person were to be authentic to themselves, they would not have gone to the sporting event and instead maybe have gone to a club meeting, or done some other activity which would have benefitted the university just as much.

Now comes the question of how one may authentically “Be Orange”. It appears to be generally accepted within the community at Oregon State that to “Be Orange” means to show support for the university and its programs. In this way, it could be said that being orange refers to performing an action which directly benefits the school. How does one authentically provide benefit to Oregon State University? There are many different ways to do so, a few of which have already been mentioned. In addition to these, other possible ways to “Be Orange” include: monetary donations to the university, participating in an event which brings notoriety and respect to the university and its programs, providing scholarship money to individuals attending Oregon State, and lastly being a successful and well-respected alumnus within society so as to bring recognition through one’s own actions.

All of the aforementioned ways to “Be Orange” are certainly ways that any person may accomplish, but in order for them to be authentic, they must be reflective of that person’s true self. If a person does not enjoy an action they take to “Be Orange” then they are not being authentic to themselves. A person must freely take actions to “Be Orange”, otherwise they are not holding themselves responsible to their authentic self.

Submitted by Nikki Rieken

The concept of authenticity is being genuine and true to oneself in both a philosophical standpoint and a way of approaching obstacles in life. Being authentic is simply being who you really are, which can be extremely difficult when it comes to trying not to conform to influential individuals in ones life. The idea of  authenticity and “Be Orange” is to make decisions for yourself and base those decisions off of your own thoughts and beliefs. College is normally a time to find yourself, what you stand for, and what you believe in. Making decisions based solely off of what you believe to be true and right, and dealing with the consequences or rewards from said decisions are the foundation of becoming your own self. Bad faith, spheres of existence, humanism, freedom, and Nietzsche concept of “The Herd” are all notions from course content that directly relate to my ideology of “Be Orange” and living authentically.

The largest obstacle I face at OSU is constant peer pressure. But, having the mentality to step back and think about decisions I make prior to making them has allowed myself to avoid making a decision based off of social norms or peer pressure. It’s easy to decide to skip a class or homework to go out with friends, especially when they don’t have any responsibilities to attend to or are avoiding their work too. If I were to avoid my responsibilities I wouldn’t be abiding by my authentic self and in turn would be conforming to Nietzsche concept of “The Herd”. Being manipulated by the majority rule of the group would cause myself to not only be inauthentic but also conform to the idea of mindless and thoughtlessly following the group. Peer pressure is a very real concept that causes many individuals to be inauthentic to themselves because they don’t want to go against the grain of the group. But, by doing so one isn’t utilizing their right to transcendence and humanism.

Everyone has the right to their opinion and humanism is the individual focused philosophy that allows one to pursue their identity and transcendence. Having the freedom to be who you wish to be and make your own decisions is what makes them individually authentic to who they truly are. I was a person that was very influenced by peers, parents, and family members when I was growing up and was never assertive when it came to what I wanted or believed in. Now, after deciding to pick up my life and transfer to Oregon State University I’ve learned to chase after what I want and stand up for what I believe in even if it’s not what my close friends, parents, or majority of individuals stand for. Being my own authentic ‘superhero’ and having the mentality that I can do anything I set my mind to has allowed myself to be who I want to be and accomplish what I wish to in life without the need for help or reassurance that I’m making the right decision. Having the freedom to be me is the epitome of what I wanted my life to be. But, freedom isn’t the only concept that you need to achieve the idea of your authentic self, transitioning through the spheres of existence also plays a major role.

Satisfying immediate desires, learning good vs. evil, and the experiencing the leap of faith are the basic ideas that are encompassed in the three spheres that every individual needs to experience to find meaning in life. Having an encounter with each of the three phases, sometimes more than once, is the learning process of life and in turn understanding your authentic self. Through each phase you learn, grow, and alter your behavior to build off of each layer obtaining experience that will help you find what life means to you and who you believe to be. I find myself in the ethical sphere; making decisions in regards to good and bad on a daily basis just like every college student out there. Choosing between homework or a party, visiting family or hanging out with friends, etc. Likewise, by experiencing all three spheres one learns the concepts of facticity, transcendence, and authenticity and how they make up bad faith. Bad faith is the idea that one is being inauthentic to themselves and not taking advantage of one of the three concepts above. Being true to oneself is authenticity in a nutshell and a lifelong path that every individual embarks upon.

Submitted by Mitchell Monen

To be authentic, in my opinion means to live a life true to who you are and what you believe is right. Being authentic is important because it helps bring out the uniqueness and individualistic properties of oneself. Being authentic can mean different things to different people. For example, Kierkegaard believes that to be authentic you must find your meaning in life through a relationship with God, and by doing so you will find yourself with his guidance (Lec. 5/3). Nietzsche believed to not fall under the power of society and to “not follow the herd” (Lec. 5/5). In todays society, a lot of people seem to hide their self from others because they are afraid of what other people might think or say. I believe that an individual should strive for independence and distinction, not being the same as your counterparts. I will list three tips to live an authentic life.

Tip #1: Find True Friends

Having a group of friends that you feel comfortable around is crucial for living an authentic life. Your friends should know your true self as you should know theirs. Having friends that let you express yourself in a authentic way can help you find your “authentic you”. While growing up, I had a great group of friends that I did practically everything with. From going to school, to getting in trouble (not too much trouble), and experiencing the obstacles in life that one goes through while growing up. If I acted out, or tried to be something I’m not, my friends always noticed and mentioned I wasn’t “being myself”. I think that type of honesty and trueness is important for developing an authentic personality. In Heidegger’s book,  Being And Time (Pg. 227) he mentions the “they-self” as a form of authenticity. People can sometimes be absorbed by the “they” by engaging in a task. I would say the most common form of the “they-self” is gossip. Gossip is very common among student bodies and a lot of kids become engulfed in it. It’s important to notice these actions and not become apart of it.

Tip #2: Explore Your Freedom

Many individuals today don’t use their freedom as much as they should. For example, in America many people don’t use their ability to vote or voice their opinion. The majority of people become apart of the crowd and follow other peoples choices, or believe their participation doesn’t matter in the long run. The truth is, every single persons vote does matter and can influence your everyday lives. Another example of choosing how to use your freedom is choosing your career path. Many people feel they are destined for one particular job or close the doors to other opportunities because they want to take the easy route (Lec. 6/2). My advice would be to figure out what your passion is and fulfill that to the fullest.

Tip #3: Find What You Love

For a long time I was apart of a wrestling team and my dad was one of the coaches. Part of me felt inclined to participate because of my dads involvement with the team and the other part of me just wanted to do something active. I played football and basketball occasionally, but I felt it wouldn’t suffice. I never truly enjoyed wrestling and wanted to find something I really love doing, so I thought about what I love and it’s music. I picked up playing the piano my junior year of high school and simultaneously stopped wrestling. I felt horrible telling my dad I wanted to stop but it was the right thing to do. I haven’t looked back since. My advice to anyone with a similar conflict is to ponder what makes you happy and expand on it.

Authenticity is a important part of the human experience. No one wants to be homogenous with everything around them and act like robots. Having originality and a sense of distinction is important part of being human.

Submitted by: Aaron Sprunger

In relationships we are often reminded to be “real”. Being “real”, being authentic it’s all the same, everyone is saying to be your true self. As an Oregon State University (OSU) students, faculty and staff we have a relationship with our school, but how can we be authentically orange? First, one must understand what it means to be authentic and second, what it means to be orange.

Authenticity is not something others can give to us, but rather something we must establish on our own. As Sarte says, “the absolute character of the free commitment” (Satre, Existentialism Is a Humanism, pg. 11) is at the heart. This means that when we come to school, we have the choice to commit to whatever it is that we like. As Socrates says, “If I do not reveal my views on justice in words, I so by my conduct” (Socrates 469-399 BC, from Lecture, 4/2/15). The commitments that we make as we go through our days define and shape the individual that we are and will become. We have already taken the first step by applying, accepting, and attending (or being otherwise associated to) OSU.

After taking the initial step, we are now part of something larger, which in part defines us. In the words of Heidegger we are part the “they” (Heidegger, Being and Time, pg. 226), the OSU faculty/student body. As the they, the outside world views us as a singular “body”. This “body” has specific characteristics that others will not. For example, students from OSU are all exposed to a multicultural environment on campus given students a certain familiarity with people from different backgrounds. Contrary to Socrates as we become part the “herd” (Nietzsche, The Gay Science, pg. 130) it is as though we are following a larger mass, removed from our individual choices. Following the herd we lose the individuality that Satre and Socrates believe humans to have.

As OSU students and faculty gain identity as part of OSU, we must consider what it means to be authentically orange. Do you have to take on campus courses? What percentage? Do you have to participate in OSU activities outside of class? How many? How far does the OSU community spread? Do people that work close to campus and participate in OSU events but aren’t students qualify as being authentically orange. It is my belief that to be authentically orange one must embrace the OSU community and the environment it provides. This means being on campus regularly, participating in clubs and other available resources on campus. As discussed in lecture (Lecture 5/26/15) to be in bad faith one must be “both the liar and the deceived.” Students and faculty that are beyond the OSU Corvallis campus cannot fully understand what it means to be authentically orange. However, it is likely that they are acting in bad faith because as remote students and faculty they do not know what they are missing or not a part of. Thus they speak a non-truth and are deceived as to what it means to be authentically orange.

Being authentically orange isn’t difficult but it requires an individual to make the choice that they will bleed orange. That they are going to embrace the OSU community and all that it has to offer. Be it sports, using facilities, clubs, or anything else that is connected to OSU. Get involved, build a relationship with OSU and be authentically orange!