Everyday Canvas

Being Authentic

Prompt: What does authenticity mean to you? How can a person be authentic as a writer or in any other role?

==============

Here surfaces “from the heart” phrase again, as authenticity asks for tact, love, courage, honesty, and communication with others from the heart.

Authenticity, on the other hand, doesn’t mean dumping on others our stuff and especially our emotions in a sloppy fashion. Airing of the emotions as if vomit and exposing others to it as if it is our only truth is an irresponsible and selfish act. Being responsible doesn’t mean not-being-honest either. Being responsible is being conscious of our impact on others.

Surely, talking with one’s best friend, therapist or the significant other--if he or she is agreeable to our flare-ups--helps us recover from nasty emotions, but is this dumping of emotions always honest, especially when one looks truthfully at oneself? I guess not. Sometimes we get emotional without thoroughly thinking or understanding the situation at hand or our own actions and reactions.

On the other hand, there are people who, at all costs, just withdraw and avoid talking about what hurts them. Both the dumping and the withdrawing does not make for a happy life. Neither does it insure a respected place in the workplace or among one’s friends.

Communicating from the heart means setting boundaries and starting an uncomfortable conversation, if needed, and probably letting some people walk away from you. This requires enormous courage, and it can change a life in an instant, but for the better in the long run. This is what facing the truth itself and being honest with oneself does that to people.

Communicating with tact what we feel in our hearts does rearrange life and does turn us into authentic human beings.

Truth is, we all need to dump our emotions at least once in a while. Luckily, as writers, we have our canvas of situations, choice of characters, and the many forms of writing to do that with, as do others in their own ways who work in the arts. Still, other people who work in unrelated areas can do this through their hobbies. No wonder people stick to their hobbies without any pay or recognition…We all need to expose in some way who we are.

Authenticity is truth, honesty, tact and responsibility with others. It also requires love for everyone and one's self, which the Greeks called agape^. I think where there is such love, most everything can be ironed out and the authentic person can be evident.