Finding Authenticity in the World...

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Comment by AwesomeUniverse!!! on July 8, 2009 at 1:53pm

Thanks for th insihts Paul and Jim! I really appreciate it! Maybe am having an existential crisis in a way because I just want more than is available out there.. It would be nice to attend a raw retreat that was really like spiritual nutrition though. Where there was a sacredness to the whole experience.

Comment by Sara Tonin on July 8, 2009 at 11:41am

...and "being yourself" or "being authentic" basically means being honest, being sincere, and to do that you have to turn All That Crap off, be it ipods or phones or ...?

Funny: my roommate/best friend has the tv on All The Time, and if I'm not moved to watch the program (which is usually) I'll opt to pull out my computer and engage myself in something that stimulates my curiosity. She'll comment about me being tuned out, but as I look at it, I am actively seeking out information and connection and answers to questions, and she is passively eating what is being served to her... It's kind of sad to me, because I feel myself shifting - shifting away from what we used to do together or how I used to be or what has been familiar and comfortable - that doesn't mean I was "inauthentic" before - I was as real to myself as I could possibly be then - but I am shifting now into something different. All my stages of my life have been "authentic" in my book... all of my actions have been authentic.

But it seems to me, Rawtastic, considering this conversation of authenticity, that while you were taking this advanced educational program meant to inspire and enlighten, you found yourself in an uninspired moment, struggling to connect with your mates over something meaningful, and it wasn't happening... Truth is, there are times when the light is dim and moments are dull or awkward or uninspired. We can't all shine brightly 100% percent of the time - there is dusk and dawn and ambiguous shades of grey all over our world and it's fine - a part of our wonderful palette of life - it doesn't mean the moment was inauthentic. If there is one thing of value my father left me when he departed this earth, it was the poem "This Too Shall Pass Away" by Theodore Tilton. And so it shall...

Comment by Jim Dee on July 8, 2009 at 10:15am

Well, as it relates to the lure of the internet at times when *real* connection is possible ... at least you're not taking it personally, Liz. This is something I've struggled with from time to time, thinking things like, "Hey, I'm a real, live person sitting here, clearly wanting to connect / talk about non-trivial things! What's wrong with *me*?" But, I've learned that I tend to over-think things and also draw incorrect conclusions sometimes. (Thankfully, this narcissism is something I've become more aware of in recent years, and I now realize that the whole world doesn't in fact revolve around me.) I agree that the 'net is secondary to the real thing, though. I suppose that, with raw foodies and other similarly like-minded people, it's just that we're a statistical minority and thus really spread out geographically. So, unless you're in Manhattan or LA, it's probably tough to take part in a real-live community of like-minded people. And then, when you DO finally find yourself in that situation (as opposed to your regular virtual stand-in), you might forget that you're in it -- (which could give the *appearance* of being rude??). (Or, yeah, maybe you just encountered some truly rude folk.)

Bottom line, though: I think you just have to be yourself, 100% yourself, all the time. And since you ARE authentic, you will naturally attract/find others who also possess the quality you're describing. Of course, sometimes people use the trivial to just break the ice with others. But, if that's as deep as it goes, then I guess you have to keep looking around for the kind of interactions/connections you desire. I say go for it -- in situations like that, *actively raise* the kinds of topics you'd *really* like to explore and, sooner or later, you'll discover the kindred spirits you're seeking.

Comment by paul c on July 8, 2009 at 9:27am

I often wonder at inauthenticity vs. authenticity just as a matter unto itself, actually, RT. I'm not sure I'm even capable of even knowing what it is within myself to some degree...for instance, some of greatest surprise to me has been connecting with people who, at one point in my progression, I never would've thought I'd connect with...or in going back to a type of work that I hated at one time and found that it actually qualified to be a 'dream' job later on. stuff like that. was i more authentic in the before or after stages of those progressions?...i'm not sure, really. but i know what you mean about how people are capable of rudely tuning out in a cyber way, or living further and further adrift of the means of true communication. we're still developmentally in a stage of finding what works with cyber reality versus what really doesn't work and is mind numbing about it all. i think it's like the journey of a maturing spirit...it reaches at some point along the line this incredible intellectual development in relation to where it began and thinks that it's reached the pinacle of development--but it hasn't even entered the realm of spirit where the really incredible growth and connection is possible. i guess it's easy to look down at that stage as being not that great...but it's a necessary step, you know?...other than that, people should just turn the damn machines off most of the time...that's what i think. ha....8^))

Comment by AwesomeUniverse!!! on July 8, 2009 at 8:18am

That's an awesome point Lee! Yeah by even saying this I felt somewhat "negative" but it's bsically the elephant in the room a lot of times.

Then there is the whole skill aspect like you are talking about. People don't know how to interact in a positive way for the most part.

Basically, there needs to be a class on what the "culture of life" is. I was really shocked how much time people spent on their computers and cell phones. I felt like I was at Starbucks most of the time and I was paying big money to be somewhere other than Starbucks.

But seriously- it's not funny for people who are studying to be healers, or on the path to enlightenment, or wanting to make the world a better place to sit in a group of people and compltely block them out by having an mp3 player in their ear, a laptop on, and also talking on their cell phone. It blows me away how rude this is.

I don't even mind this stuff really. I love going to Starbucks. But it hit me there that even the supposedly enlightened ones have turned into cyber junkies who aren't even present in their environment. It's SAD in more ways than one. "WE" should know.