Authenticity....

This article is based on a poem I had to study as a part of my International Baccalaureate Diploma program. This poem is called ‘Revelation’ by Robert Frost, it basically illustrates how we, humans never really show our true selves as we always  hide behind lies and other forms of camouflage like “light words that tease and flout”. We hide our true selves because we fear that people around us will not accept us, most times this is because we do not conform to what people think we should be.

‘Authenticity’ can be defined as the genuineness or truth of something. It is something that is very uncommon today. I applaud Robert Frost for being bold enough to talk about it because not many people are. In his poem “Revelation”, he uses certain literary features to convey the seriousness and intensity of the situation. The title itself is an example of biblical allusion, revelation is the last book of the bible which shows that there is an end and people can only hide themselves for so long. Authenticity has lost its value in our world and people will do just about anything to have the approval of the world. We as humans fail to understand that if everyone is the same, our world would be flat and boring. The diversity of characters is what enables us learn from each other and learn to tolerate each other so that we can grow and develop as individuals.

Two years ago, I learned that being authentic is the only way to become relevant and stay that way for a long time. It was when I began my International Baccalaureate Diploma program, I was forced to leave my comfort zone and my parents and my school and basically everything I was used to. It was a very difficult time, the first few weeks were horrible, it would get me depressed and I began to miss home really badly. I didn’t fit in because the guys were really immature and I found that I had nothing in common with them. Unfortunately, the girls were worse because out of all of us, only one was considered to be really “cool”, so everyone except two of my friends and I tried very hard to conform to this girl’s version of being “cool”. After a few weeks of speaking to my mother and my older sister, I realized that I had being wasting my time trying to fit in. This is because “fitting in” meant erasing every form of individuality and becoming a fake version of someone else. Soon enough after I realized that I did not have to conform to anybody’s ideas of who I should be, I became more confident in being different and everything else just seemed to fall into place.

It is not uncommon for the lack of authenticity to be triggered by peer pressure. This is because young people are impressionable and they are yet to figure out who they want to be, therefore, due to the uncertainty, it is quite easy for someone else to manipulate them and make them alter their idea of who they want to become. They no longer look to discover who they are and embrace their individuality rather they spend their time trying to be more like the person who is manipulating them.

I once read an article about the costs of peer pressure and lack of authenticity. The article was based on a group of high school graduates who went on a trip to celebrate their finishing high school. The principal instructed the class to be on their best behavior and to be good ambassadors of the school. However, due to peer pressure and the intense desire to ‘fit-in’, some people brought alcohol on the trip. Unfortunately for them, the chaperons caught them and turned them into the principal for punishment and this resulted in the immediate expulsion of the the students who took the alcohol. It was especially heart breaking because this event occurred just a few days before graduation. It turned their graduation ceremony into a sad occasion and it tarnished the image of that grade in the school. In other words, all the good things they did while in the school were forgotten and replaced with this terrible mess. Sometimes, the lack of authenticity does not have such grave consequences but it is wiser to take precaution because one cannot predict the outcome of any situation. In my own case, it took quite a bit of courage from the students who didn't join in because they seemed "uncool" and were tagged “snubs” and “unfriendly” . They had realized the most important thing, which was being true to who they were and being confident in the people they had become. After reading the article, I starting realizing that the greatest people in the world where never afraid to be different and they were not shadows they were trail blazers. 

In my opinion, the problem of authenticity has gone on for too long, and this is because we keep doing the same things and expecting different results, which a wise man referred to as insanity. It is time for people to stand up and be confident and comfortable in exactly who they are. The world would be more exciting if everyone could just be exactly who they are. Authenticity has become old-fashioned and it is about time we bring it back in vogue. If God wanted two of the same person, he would have done that and not taking the time to create a whole other person. God does not waste resources, so he knows exactly why he created you the way you are. Stop trying to fulfill another person's purpose and start trying to discover and fulfill your own.Remember, if you try to be someone else, the best possible version of you is just a counterfeit of another person.