We all know how refreshing it is to be in contact with someone who is authentic. It's like a breath of fresh air, for we acknowledge the courage an individual has when she reveals the true "me". Such a person has taken a chance at being vulnerable, open, naked. And no communication is quite as refreshing.
So, what's not to like about an authentic self? As a person who is striving to unmask the individual I really am, I've learned that there are pitfalls here as well. It comes when I confuse the authentic self with the acceptable self, when I think that authenticity is good enough. We must never forget that, whatever we are or wherever we are in life, there is always need for transformation. And that's the danger: that having reached a certain degree of authenticity, we may settle. We may forget to continue to move forward, we may forget that what we've found is only a beginning; that there is still work to be done.
I guess its a matter of reflection. Being yourself is good. Staying yourself...not so good.
Again I find enjoyment here, even when it disturbs me or maybe especially so. Authenticity that can be tall order. If we've lived for a while we all can assess many of our strengths and weaknesses, we know where we fit in comfortably, what we can or cannot do. Yet honesty knocks on our heart's door and we know we are capable of so much more, but that requires a stretch, a vulnerability to failure and misunderstanding. Doubt can say what do I have that is authentic, am I not the sum total of my upbringing, education, and experiences? What can I say or do that is truly different? I believe the answer lies not in what we do, for there is nothing new under the sun, but how we do it. There is no one on the face of the earth exactly like me, (to which we may say thank God for that!) that means whatever I do is fresh, it has never been viewed, handled, expressed, felt or prayed like I have done. I am unique and all I do bears that uniqueness. They say to copy is the greatest form of flattery, to be yourself that is the greatest gift to the world, even if it is just the way you laugh, or phrase something. Yet, there is a more pro-active authenticity which we can experience, where we hear that knocking, sense the voice of God or His Spirit brooding over an idea or opportunity that we can lend our own sense and labor to. This too is a gift to the world.
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