Of Authenticity and Fear

"Putting a quote at the beginning of something only makes you seem smarter to idiots"  -Unknown

Triggered by a number of recent self examinations I've come to wonder If who I portray myself to be is consistent with who i really am, or if it's the result of a toxic unending anxiety, a fear of rejection. While there are a number of things which i hold as a moral or ethical code based in nature and nurture alike, other things ive found I'm easily influenced by, especially when it comes to interacting with people i don't know. This has the inverse effect of me being stubborn and steadfast in my beliefs when challenged by people I do know and no longer fear Abandonment or judgement from. And if the individuals whom are way more wise than me, have agreed that, all the worlds a stage, that we are all constantly performing for others (see here) than I'm not entirely sure they're wrong based on my personal experience.

While I'd like to think I'm more authentic than most (Us Vs Them at its finest) I cannot and thus will not deny that I too have long worn a mask, many different masks and some of those masks i may not have even realized WERE masks. If you'll excuse the tired metaphor; I'd like to also liken it to the idea of Authenticity, and truly what can be considered authentic in a world where manipulation (as dirty as the word is) is as common as germs. Can anything really exist as it does without some form of Manipulative behavior?

Presumably anything that has Cognition cannot, i may be using that term wrong, but take for example a cat or dog, both are things some may view as innocent, too dumb to Manipulate anything or anyone. The mistake i think people are making is that both these creatures can and do manipulate us, and are fully aware of it, but theyd not view it as manipulation, nor would it be logical to assume their intentions were malevolent. 

A typical Cat meows most often in the presence of humans, not other cats, it has been theorized they mimic frequecies and sounds based on human babies to attract attention to the things they want. 

A Dog does a similar thing, by whining lowering its ears, looking away, or otherwise barking. 

These are all forms of manipulation but are they INauthentic? 

I think most of us would argue no. Humanity then is a tad more complicated, we dont always understand why we are doing things, saying things or otherwise performing. 

This is especially true when we act out of Fear. At least It is for me, and it took me a long time to realise that. So how many others are like me and haven't?

Basically I'm rambling again at 10PM because sometimes I wonder about this stuff. It's an interesting thought train though.

Til next Time, Stay Golden,

Mjax Majoran