Authentic Orange

Live Authentically at OSU

Living authentically is difficult in most walks of life, especially in those that seek to mold and form young minds. In many school environments it is difficult for a person to be their authentic self, but in the Oregon State University environment it is not as difficult to be one’s authentic self. At many different institutions of learning, the mere idea of being authentic can be lost by the individual who may be lead to believe that the only way to be truly happy, is to be a part of the herd. Nietzsche believed that the herd mentality, the following of others just because you believe that it will allow you to fit in, is a sickness (lecture 5 May 2015), that you are giving in to peer pressure and in a sense refusing to think for yourself. This is how many students who begin their long and arduous college journey feel, as if they have merely joined a herd of loud and outspoken sheep, being swept away into the abyss.

Oregon State students, however, are able to step away from the herd, because of the thousands of opportunities, people, and interest groups that are available to every student on the campus. When I began at Oregon State, I was terrified of swept up by the crowd. I believe, as Heidegger did, that social life and social relationships are a necessity (lecture, 5 May 2015), that being around others and being social has a positive impact on one’s lifespan, but coming to a school with 25000 students on campus, each one more enthusiastic about their school than the last, I was afraid of just blending in. Within my first few days here I found that there is not one person on this campus who merely “blends in”, instead there are 25,000 students with unique and authentic lives. Each student exemplified the balance that Heidegger talks about in his book Being And Time (p. 227), in this Heidegger talks about the “they-self” and how people can be caught up in the “they” when absorbed in activity, but this does not detract from their ability to be authentic, rather is strengthens their ability to connect with others and express themselves fully which is essential to authenticity. Being able to be authentic to yourself as well as a part of a group is a unique thing, and something that is not often seen in today’s world where everyone and everything seems to be categorized, numbered, and given a label of some kind. Students at Oregon State are able to be authentic by exploring the things that they love through the thousands of opportunities that are available in every department of the school. If someone always loved animals they can join the Goad Club, if they love theater they are able to audition for plays, if they love staying up until 2:00 in the morning playing Super Smash Brothers they are able to find friends and acceptance in a group of people who love doing the same thing. Being able to pursue every interest that a student has allows students to exercise their true freedom in life, not feeling condemned to be free, but instead free to do what they love and not be held back by limitations (lecture, 26 May 2015). This allows students of OSU to live in good faith, choosing what is desirable to them, what makes them happiest, and living a life that reflects who they truly are (lecture 2 June 2015). Thus I contend that one is, in fact, able to be authentic and an OSU student, exemplifying what it means to be authentically orange.