Authentic Orange

Submitted by Nikki Rieken

The concept of authenticity is being genuine and true to oneself in both a philosophical standpoint and a way of approaching obstacles in life. Being authentic is simply being who you really are, which can be extremely difficult when it comes to trying not to conform to influential individuals in ones life. The idea of  authenticity and “Be Orange” is to make decisions for yourself and base those decisions off of your own thoughts and beliefs. College is normally a time to find yourself, what you stand for, and what you believe in. Making decisions based solely off of what you believe to be true and right, and dealing with the consequences or rewards from said decisions are the foundation of becoming your own self. Bad faith, spheres of existence, humanism, freedom, and Nietzsche concept of “The Herd” are all notions from course content that directly relate to my ideology of “Be Orange” and living authentically.

The largest obstacle I face at OSU is constant peer pressure. But, having the mentality to step back and think about decisions I make prior to making them has allowed myself to avoid making a decision based off of social norms or peer pressure. It’s easy to decide to skip a class or homework to go out with friends, especially when they don’t have any responsibilities to attend to or are avoiding their work too. If I were to avoid my responsibilities I wouldn’t be abiding by my authentic self and in turn would be conforming to Nietzsche concept of “The Herd”. Being manipulated by the majority rule of the group would cause myself to not only be inauthentic but also conform to the idea of mindless and thoughtlessly following the group. Peer pressure is a very real concept that causes many individuals to be inauthentic to themselves because they don’t want to go against the grain of the group. But, by doing so one isn’t utilizing their right to transcendence and humanism.

Everyone has the right to their opinion and humanism is the individual focused philosophy that allows one to pursue their identity and transcendence. Having the freedom to be who you wish to be and make your own decisions is what makes them individually authentic to who they truly are. I was a person that was very influenced by peers, parents, and family members when I was growing up and was never assertive when it came to what I wanted or believed in. Now, after deciding to pick up my life and transfer to Oregon State University I’ve learned to chase after what I want and stand up for what I believe in even if it’s not what my close friends, parents, or majority of individuals stand for. Being my own authentic ‘superhero’ and having the mentality that I can do anything I set my mind to has allowed myself to be who I want to be and accomplish what I wish to in life without the need for help or reassurance that I’m making the right decision. Having the freedom to be me is the epitome of what I wanted my life to be. But, freedom isn’t the only concept that you need to achieve the idea of your authentic self, transitioning through the spheres of existence also plays a major role.

Satisfying immediate desires, learning good vs. evil, and the experiencing the leap of faith are the basic ideas that are encompassed in the three spheres that every individual needs to experience to find meaning in life. Having an encounter with each of the three phases, sometimes more than once, is the learning process of life and in turn understanding your authentic self. Through each phase you learn, grow, and alter your behavior to build off of each layer obtaining experience that will help you find what life means to you and who you believe to be. I find myself in the ethical sphere; making decisions in regards to good and bad on a daily basis just like every college student out there. Choosing between homework or a party, visiting family or hanging out with friends, etc. Likewise, by experiencing all three spheres one learns the concepts of facticity, transcendence, and authenticity and how they make up bad faith. Bad faith is the idea that one is being inauthentic to themselves and not taking advantage of one of the three concepts above. Being true to oneself is authenticity in a nutshell and a lifelong path that every individual embarks upon.