FLORES, YSSABELLE NICOLE JORGE
SEPTEMBER 30, 2022
EM1
REFLECTION ON “THE STRUGGLE FOR AUTHENTICITY”
Like any other existential question, there are no solid or definite criteria for
authenticity. What does authenticity mean? What are the elements of life that bound it? What
makes a human authentic and inauthentic? Can one co-exist with the other?
According to Jean-Jacques Rousseau a Genevan philosopher, Authenticity comes
from within ourselves - without the input of others. He defines it as “the natural self”. While
inauthenticity is the aftermath of letting ourselves be influenced by others. And I strongly
agree with him on this one. Based on my personal experience with social media, I find that I
easily get swayed by what I think will make me look better, if not great. As a people pleaser,
I tend to go along with the trends and limit my own personal style to keep up with what is
currently “IN”. Due to this, I scored almost twice the average (20) in the “Accepting External
Influence” part of the test. It somehow bothers me that I am swiftly affected by the perception
of others. It made me feel a little bit self-alienated because it has come to mind that I have
spent a hefty sum of time trying to mirror the personality of whom I thought was a standard
in society. Even though I am terribly persuaded by external factors, I still manage to score a
little below the average (12) for the “Self-Alienation” part. And I trust that it is because I am
self-aware and that I take the time to reflect on my actions and how it affects the people
around me. Therefore, I scored above average (26) on the “Authentic Living” section. People
might find this very ironic because I easily get swayed, but I still get to separate myself from
the ideal from time to time. And that is a huge bit of who I am. A contradicting and complex
person who always tries to love herself a little more every single day, because she believes
that giving authenticity a try is giving more love to who you really are.
This made me realize that taking some time off social media may be a great
opportunity for me to dive deeper into my real self and discover what I really like amidst the
absence of outsider opinion. But just like Martin Heidegger said, authenticity and
inauthenticity are basic forms of being in the world, and they cannot be separated. After all,
no man is an island, and whether we like it or not, one way or another we will be influenced
by the people around us, and we would influence them as well. We cannot be 100%
authentic, and that is life.