Since Freshmen Year at High School I have grappled with the concept of authenticity and what it means to be authentic. When I was a meek freshman, I thought that it meant being real, staying true to your origins, but after a long and difficult internal debate, I have come to see what true authenticity is. My vision of authenticity and how it affects my life, ranging from my relationships with my peers to my relationship with God, is ever expanding, but remains intact, as one solid and secure statement. For me, being authentic requires that I am myself - real in my thoughts, feelings, and in my relationship with the community, all under God.

            Being authentic means that I am myself, meaning that I stay true to the afore mentioned qualities, and that I recognize my faults and my blessings, owning up to them regardless of what others come to think. This is important to me because it is me; it is who I am in the world. Although, this is not the aspect of authenticity most important to others, because we (human beings as a collective) are so complex and we change constantly. In an article, titled “Dare to Be Yourself,” by Karen Wright, Roy Baumeister believes that “There isn’t a self to know” because it, our “self,” is seen rather as “an array of often conflicting impressions, sensations, and behaviors. Our headspace is messier than we pretend, they say, and the search for authenticity is doomed if it’s aimed at tidying up the sense of self, restricting our identities to what we want to be or who we think we should be” (Wright). What Wright and Baumeister forget is that authenticity does not seek to “tidy up” the self. It is not even meant to sort ourselves out. It is to live honestly and to be real in our feelings and interactions with others. It does not seek to characterize the self; rather, it is to be lived. This authenticity allows for success because it allows for us to develop strong relationships through being vulnerable and honest with others. Authenticity, because it allows for vulnerable, honest, and strong connections, creates a direct communication between us and our peers. This direct communication deals with inherent and sometimes uncomfortable truths if both people are authentic, but these truths only strengthen the bonds because we are able to fully be ourselves in these conversations. Such passion and directness can ultimately lead to our holiness.

            Being authentic leads to holiness and allows me to grow in faith because authenticity is truth, and truth comes from God. There was one homily that has truly spoken to me throughout my life. The priest was actually talking about authenticity and how it leads us to God, and he quoted the Gospel of John 8:31-32, saying “Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). What stuck with me most was that “the truth will set you free,” because Jesus states that God’s teachings are truth, and by me continuing my authenticity, which includes my profession of Jesus as my savior, then I am in good standing with God, because I try to live by His teachings. I learned from this homily that I can be authentic in my faith, but I stray when I sin. However, my priest went on to say that God admires the truth and our ability to own up to our faults and blessings, and if we can do this, then our sins are absolved and our relationship with God is strengthened. Jesus explains His stance on authenticity in his parables, but the best example of His ideology behind authenticity is in Matthew 14:28-33, in which He walks on water and Peter staggers and falls in after second guessing his faith:

            “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

                ²⁹ “Come,” he said.

            Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But             when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

                ³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said,   “why did you doubt?”

                ³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Jesus wants us to have strong faith in God. This is His authenticity: strong faith in God, because if we do not have strength in such a grave matter, we shall sink and fall short of God’s desires and plans for us. Jesus wants us to admit that He is the Son of God in our daily lives. I try to do just that through being honest, courteous, kind, and reverent to my teachers, parents, and peers at school. Through my authenticity I live Jesus’ message. Without authenticity I could not be as strong in my faith. I would end up sinning and eventually straying from God in my lies.

            In an absence of authenticity there is a barrier that covers the truth with lies. This is known as a façade. Sheila Sayani authored the article “Facing the Façade,” in which she describes social rules, one being that “we tend to do and say things that we may not really want in order for others to see us a certain way so we don’t ‘lose face’” (Sayani). I agree with this because I am guilty of this, my peers are guilty of this, almost everyone, and what we are guilty of is the permissible lie. We ask each other how we are and we respond with “fine” or “I’m good,” even if we just failed a test or broke up with our girlfriend or boyfriend. It is the epitome of unauthentic action. It breaks down the opportunity for relationships and conversations to break through the small talk. It is contrary to human nature according to Sayani because “connecting to others and letting people in is what we are meant to do” (Sayani). And while we are unauthentic, we cannot be fully alive. It is impossible. Being fully alive means that you are authentic no matter what others think about you or about your situation. The permissible lies add up over time to make contact with friends and peers so void and unimportant that we eventually stop caring about each other and start using each other. Not all of us do this because there are a lot of people that lead authentic lives, but this is what happens when we give in to the lies.

            Being authentic means that I am myself and in that, I am honest, I am real with my emotions, ideas, and community, all under God. This expands everyday to cover more and more parts of my daily life and I work hard to maintain my authenticity to the point in which I have nothing to prove to anyone. Jesus teaches us that authenticity is strong faith in God and that the truth shall set us free, something that I agree with because honesty is the best policy for being authentic. And if we were to have an absence of authenticity, then we would have a façade and all relationships would crumble and success would be lost.

Love is never giving up.

Love is making the best of it all.

Love is sacrifice.

Love is fleeting.

Love is growing within.

Love never ceases, nor dies.

Love is not lies, love is truth.

Love is kindness, love is bitterness, love is challenge.

Love is love, and I love you, love.