What does it mean to be authentic? It means to be who you are and accepting it, while putting others first and realizing that you alone are not the center of the universe. It means to not put on airs, to be honest, to look at life from the 10,000 foot view. It means to be honest with yourself. It probably also means to let the little annoyances in life slide past without notice, focusing on the big picture.
It sure can be annoying when people around you focus on little things, pick at each other, engage in “I’m better than you” contests, talk about others behind their back, and the like. Or then there’s the “poor me” mentality that some people adopt, feeling like all things that happen in life are directed towards them in some negative fashion, even when the events may be far away and have no link to them at all. You know, I really don’t have the time and energy in my life to put up with that sort of negative energy. I don’t think any of us should.
I guess it’s a “me” thing at times, too. I get so tired of people that are focused on themselves that they fail to look at the big picture. They fail to focus on the 10,000 foot view of life. If the focus of a person’s life is only themself and/or their own little world, then what are they contributing to society? Are they making the world a better place? Are they going to leave behind a better world when they pass on? I don’t know–perhaps they are in some small manner, but that’s probably a by-product of their life, an afterthought. But I do know that being authentic–being yourself and focusing on the big picture and trying in some small manner to make the world a better place is a good thing, and that is what it takes to be authentic.
So, the next time I hear someone engaging in me-focused talk, I’m just going to tune out and keep in mind what’s important in life to me. They can feel free to focus on what gives them inward personal (and mostly selfish) satisfaction, I’ll continue to try to look at the big picture in life, to focus on more than myself, and to try to maintain a 10,000 foot view of life.
Hmm….isn’t that what lots of religions teach us, anyhow?