True authenticity is hard to come by. We all want it - we want to be true to ourselves, we want others to be who they really are - we despise fakery. Yet true authenticity requires time and bravery. Time to really discover who you are - how can you know how you really feel about an issue if you don't take time to study it and think about it? How can you know what chocolate you like best if you haven't taken the time to try several? How can you know what religion best suits you if you've only gone to one church? How can you know yourself if you never spend any time alone?
The hardest voice to hear in this life is your own. You have to struggle to hear it over the din of the media, your parents, the government, advertisers and everyone who has an opinion on who you are and what you should be. And bravery - how brave are you, really? True authenticity means you form your own ideas and opinions and have the courage to voice them. You might do something crazy like leave a movie you think is idiotic or laugh so loud heads turn. You don't say yes when you mean no. We all think we're authentic, but if we're honest, most of us fall far short of the mark. We hide ourselves in the hope that others will like us or approve of us.
But you can't hide your essential nature.
Let's take Pez for example. They makers of Pez are coming out with chocolate flavored Pez. While I find this idea horrifying, I still want to try one. (I feel compelled to try any new candy involving chocolate or peanut butter even in such a remote and disturbing way. And anything sweet they fry at the State Fair. But that's another post.) I have tried chocolate Skittles and chocolate Twizzlers and my cry is for authenticity!! Skittles and Twizzlers are not meant to be chocolate - they need to stay true to themselves and not try to be chocolate. They honestly suck at being chocolate. I feel chocolate Pez will also be a sad attempt on the part of a perfectly good candy to be something it is not. Why be a crappy, chalky pseudo-chocolate when you can be a perfectly good weird fruit flavor? They can make giant Pez, they can make mini Pez, they could even try chocolate covered Pez, but a chocolate flavored Pez is well, gross. And perhaps a bit creepy.
Isn't Pez really all about the dispenser?
If the Circus Peanut is made in a chocolate version it is a sure sign of the Apocalypse.
Stay true to your essential nature. We can't all be chocolate (the world needs its fruits and nuts as well).
1 comment:
So well-said. I especially like the point about forming an opinion about an issue before you've had time to study it. In this country, everyone has an opinion, but few people can articulate why.
This all leads back to our authenticity -- our thoughts make up who we are. If we're not searching and discovering, we are nothing more than a hollow shell. Thanks for giving me something juicy to think about!
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