Are We Authentic?

 

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Are We Authentic?

Let us first try and understand the true meaning of ‘authentic man’. It means living one’s life according to one’s own values and goals, rather than the values and goals of other people. Simply put – one is true to one’s own personality, values and spirit, regardless of the pressure being applied by others or circumstances to act otherwise. An authentic person can be said to be one who has come out his/her personality. Two words apply to human beings – personality and individuality. Personality is nothing but the false identity given to one by society! One’s individuality is nature’s gift to us. Individuality is existential and personality social!

In day-to-day life everyone is living as a personality; hence that life is not authentic, it is filled with hypocrisy, as one is living life to fulfil the expectation of others. Living such a life is like cheating one’s own self apart from the others who are being cheated. Such a person is deceiving others and himself/herself too!

While living in society we wear different masks in front of different people, whole life becomes a drama, with different acts and roles with different people and in different situations.

None of our thoughts are our own, nothing is original – this is because since birth we are taught stuff to survive and make good in the material world, nobody tells us about the other world – our inner world. So, whatever we say or think is because of impressions in our mind and impressions in our subconscious mind from past births. It just takes a trigger to bring forth fear, anger, love, hate or what have you which have been suppressed deep into the subconscious. So, what is original?

To maintain our individuality and authenticity is very difficult in this world. Very few people with these characteristics are floating around in a global population exceeding 7 billion. There are several Masters who are guiding people to become their own true self. Those who are fortunate to have found their living Guru and are doing their spiritual practice under the guidance of their Guru, are definitely on the way to losing their identity and becoming their authentic self.

Self-discovery, self-realisation, becoming introversive and starting on one’s inner journey will help one in removing layers and layers of muck covering one’s soul, the masks will fall off and the true self will be revealed. Realising that one is not this body, but just the eternal soul will ensure that one’s authentic nature becomes permanent and all of life’s drama is just observed as a witness, from a distance.